You're Not Alone
by wolfismyhero
Summary: Ryann is alone, even with her stepfather and stepsister. Then they meet a group, and things seem to be looking up- for a while. She draws closer to a certain redneck as her world starts to fall apart around her. Maybe, just maybe, she can touch his heart and make him see that it's okay to care about others. Please R&R, feedback is wanted!
1. Chapter 1: Seeking a Group

**Sadly, I own nothing (except my OCs). If I did, I'd be eating steak and lobster rather than a hot pocket :P**

**Chapter 1: Seeking a Group**

Ryann looked over at her stepfather. "Are you sure about this?"

He chuckled, brushing off her concern. "Yes. It'll be fine, kiddo. Chill."

Ryann bristled. Her stepfather did that a lot these days. He took something serious and made it seem like it was no big deal. When he should have been worrying and being cautious, he was joking around instead. Things like that could get someone killed these days, and Ryann wouldn't put up with it.

Her older sister Nikole turned her nose up at Ryann's bottle of water when she offered it. "It's warm," she complained.

Ryann sighed. Her stepsister was a couple of years older than her, but it might as well have been a decade. Before all this, Nikole had been involved in the fashion world and eagerly enjoyed the finer things in life. Ryann remembered when they were packing their bags to make a run for it and Nikole was trying to stuff heels into a purse.

Nikole was one of those girls who had gotten a spray tan and bleached her hair at every possible chance. Ryann used to call those girls plastics since they so closely resembled Barbie dolls. She wore designer clothes that her daddy bought her and the people at Tiffany's Co. knew her by name.

Ryann could never understand the appeal of all that. While her stepsister was getting manicures and throwing herself into makeup, Ryann was content with a camping trip or riding her horse for hours. They were polar opposites and tended to grate on each other's nerves. Ever since her mom had died, Ryann felt alone. Her stepfather sided with Nikole about everything. Ryann couldn't win any argument.

As petty as it was, Ryann was satisfied to see Nikole's dark roots sprouting from her head, contrasting greatly with her stringy platinum locks. Ryann had never dyed her hair, so it was the same golden brown it had always been. Ryann had gray eyes while her stepsister and stepfather had pretty blue eyes. That had always been something Ryann was jealous of. She felt like her eyes were a boring color.

They continued walking along the road, looking for survivors. A truck had passed them about an hour ago, heading into Atlanta. They figured no one would willingly travel to a big city unless there was a supply run. Assuming those people had a group, they had started walking in the direction the truck came from.

Ryann sighed. Her family may not be cautious, but Ryann was. "Jack, I'm not sure if we should do this," she told her stepfather. "We don't know these people. They could be as violent as the roamers. Maybe we're better off on our own."

Jack laughed again. "Let me handle this. You're too close-minded for your own good."

She stopped for a moment and simply stared at him. "Are you kidding me? The world has ended. How do we know any humanity survived?"

Nikole gazed longingly at her ruined nails. She was probably wishing for a spa day right about now. "You are such a buzz kill, Butch. Just go with it."

Ryann narrowed her eyes at Nikole. "Yeah, okay Bubbles. And when they're shooting you in the forehead, or throwing you to the starving zombies, don't say I didn't warn you."

Ryann knew her taunt would come with consequences. She'd called Nikole "Bubbles" before and was always met with a negative response from her stepfather. She came up with the name after she'd referred to her stepsister as an airheaded bimbo. Then she thought of air bubbles, which in turn gave her the idea for the nickname "Bubbles."

While Ryann was prepared for it, it didn't lessen the pain in her cheek as Jack backhanded her. He looked deadly in that moment and Ryann had to resist the urge to step back. She gritted her teeth when she saw Nikole's smug look.

Jack expected her to back down, but Ryann kept her back straight and held his gaze. "You know better than to insult my daughter," he hissed. "Now keep walking." Nikole practically skipped after her father.

Ryann followed, blinking back tears and refusing to touch the angry red whelp on her face. This had happened many times in the past, long before the apocalypse. As much as she hated him for it, he was still family. Ryann would stay with him until one or both of them died.

They walked further along the road until they heard distant voices. Jack and Nikole grinned at each other before charging forward. They had finally found the group. Ryann hesitated for a few moments, biting her lip. If the group wasn't friendly then it was careless to go barging into their campsite. She took a deep breath and slowly followed her family.

"My name is Jack, and this is my daughter Nikole," she heard her stepfather explaining. She hung back a bit, unnoticed for the moment. Jack was talking to a tall burly guy with dark hair, piercing eyes, and a nose that looked like it had been broken a couple times. "We've been searching for a group, thank goodness we finally found you!"

Burly guy crossed his arms. "And how, may I ask, did you know where to look for us?"

Nikole batted her eyelashes at him. "We saw a truck driving away from this direction. We just _had_ to see if we could find help." Burly guy merely gave her a blank stare. When she started twirling hair around her finger, he looked away.

His gaze finally rested on Ryann, who was cautiously making her way over to them. "And who are you?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but Jack beat her to it. Barely sparing her a glance, he said, "Oh, that's my stepdaughter Ryann."

Ryann gave a little wave and shot the man an apologetic smile. "Sorry to just barge in here, sir. We've been on our own for a long time, and we hoped your group would be kind enough to take us in. We'd be willing to help out any way we can."

The guy rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the ground for a moment. "Look, I hate to tell you this, but we can't just take in every person that comes wandering into our camp. I gotta protect these people and I can't do that if I accept just anyone's story. Were any of you bit?"

"You're welcome to check," Nikole replied in a breathy voice.

They all looked at her in shock for a moment until the guy cleared his throat. "Um, I can call one of the women over to do it." He looked over his shoulder. "Lori! Come here a minute."

A tall woman with long dark brown hair walked forward. "Yeah?" She looked at the unfamiliar people and her brows drew together. "Who are they?"

"Meet Jack, Nikole, and Ryann. Look, I need somebody to check them for bites. I'd rather a woman check the girls."

Lori chewed her lip before finally agreeing. "Carl!" she called out. A boy looked up. "Stay with Carol and Sophia, alright? I'll be back in a minute." The boy nodded and went back to playing with the girl he was with.

She led Ryann and Nikole over to the RV while Jack went with the burly guy towards a tent. After several brutally humiliating minutes, Lori determined that they were bite-free. They all left the RV and met up with the guys as Ryann finished buttoning her long sleeved plaid shirt.

The guy gave them a tentative smile. "Sorry for the precautions. My name is Shane. You already met Lori. I'll introduce you to some of the others soon, once you're settled. Do you have tents, sleeping bags, or any other supplies?"

Ryann cleared her throat uncomfortably. "We did, but we lost them somewhere around Atlanta. We've been climbing up trees to stay away from the roamers." In all actuality, Nikole had ditched her pack because she simply didn't want to carry it anymore. Ryann had been forced to part with hers until Nikole had ditched that as well.

His brows rose at her news. Then he seemed to consider something. "Roamers? Is that what you call them? We usually call them walkers around here. Oh, and don't worry about the tent and such. We've got extra."

Nikole smiled at him, stepped forward, and placed a hand on his arm. "Thank you so much, how can we _ever_ repay you?"

Ryann shifted uncomfortably and shot a look towards her stepfather. He didn't seem bothered in the slightest, so Ryann assumed he encouraged his daughter to pursue the obvious leader. Shane cleared his throat and stepped away from her. "It's no problem." His eyes met Ryann's for a moment and she gave him a small shrug and another apologetic smile. He cleared his throat again and moved away.

He returned a moment later carrying a folded tent. "Here you go." Ryann quickly stepped forward to take it from him. "You can set it up anywhere over there, preferably close to the others." He pointed to an older man up on the RV. "That's Dale. He'll get you sleeping bags and blankets once you're done setting the tent up. Sorry to run off, but I've got something to do real quick." Then he was gone.

Nikole huffed quietly but followed her father and stepsister as they looked for a place to set up the tent. Jack found a relatively level spot that was fairly close to a couple other tents. Ryann quickly got to work setting up the tent, not even expecting help. Nikole had never seen a real tent in her life, and Jack wasn't the kind of guy to do anything for himself.

Ryann struggled a bit but was able to set it up correctly. She asked Dale for the sleeping bags and blankets, and like Shane said, he quickly complied. Ryann liked Dale, he had a genuine smile on his face and seemed like a pleasant man.

So far, Ryann liked the people in this group. They seemed nice enough, even smiling at the newcomers as they passed. They all seemed to have little chores or goals, which kept them busy but kept the group running smoothly. Ryann figured she just might like it here.

..

**Hey guys! I just want to warn you that this story will have a few changes. Certain people will remain in the story, even though they didn't in the show. I need them to properly execute this idea. Don't hold it against me! I'm hoping y'all like what I'm doing anyways. Please R&R, it's much appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2: Guess Who's Back?

**Hello Everybody! I own nothing (yeah, I know... sad face) but I ****_did _****create a few OCs :D yay me! I'm feeling a bit loopy at the moment, bear with me please. It's all because of the fact that I can never sleep :P I want to thank everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it! And some of the feedback really helped me! I got kind stuck at certain parts of this chapter. I used direct dialogue (not my thing) but it helps move the story along. I'm way more excited about chapter 3 though! :)**

**..**

**Chapter 2: Guess who's back?**

Ryann went to find Lori after she finished setting up the tent. She didn't see where Jack had wandered off to, but she saw Nikole grab a chair and drag it over to the shade the RV provided. Ryann shook her head. Her stepsister would be in for a rude awakening when she realized she'd have to help out.

"Hey Lori," she called out as she approached. The woman looked up and smiled in response. "I'm Ryann, by the way. Is there anything you'd like me to do, any way I could help out?" Lori's smile got larger.

She pointed to a short haired woman standing near the laundry baskets. "See that woman right there? Her name is Carol. She's hanging up the wet laundry right now and I'm sure she could use another pair of hands."

Ryann grinned at her. "Okay, thanks." She headed in Carol's direction, passing a blonde girl about Ryann's age as she went. The two smiled at each other and nodded in acknowledgment. "Hi Carol, my name is Ryann. Lori said you might need some help."

Carol smiled at her. "Yes I do. Laundry is never fun."

The two worked in companionable silence for a while, separating the work. They hung up all the wet clothes, allowing the air to reach them all and dry out the fabric. Ryann didn't need to take a second glance to know that there was a slight dark mark on Carol's left cheekbone. Carol had the same slightly submissive personality that Ryann had, and Ryann had seen plenty of marks like that on herself while looking in the mirror. She had seen Carol around a man earlier, and she assumed that was the guy who'd hit her. She had a knack for picking out any abusive men around her.

She had also seen a young girl hanging out around the couple, and she could only pray-as callous as it seemed- that Carol was the only one who suffered at the end of the man's wrath. Ryann knew what it was like to deal with an abusive father figure growing up. She was sure it had made her age well before her time.

By the time they were done hanging up the laundry, Dale was sorting through cans of food. "Lunch is served!" he called out in a loud voice. The entire camp came forward to accept their meager meal. Jim- he had been a mechanic, Lori said- helped Dale.

Nikole sighed when she got her can but ate the canned peaches anyway. Ryann happily scarfed down her soup, barely even tasting it. They hadn't eaten in days, and she was eager for anything sent her way. Jack appeared out of nowhere, ate his meal, and then disappeared again. Ryann didn't pay much attention. If he wandered off, then so be it. Too bad that meant she'd be stuck with Nikole though.

Ryann sat next to Carl on a log as she licked her lips. "So how old are you, kid?" she asked him, drawing in the dirt with a stick.

He smiled proudly and puffed out his chest. "I'll be thirteen in a couple of months. I'm almost a teenager."

Ryann smirked at his gloating expression. "Being a teenager isn't all it's cracked up to be. Enjoy your age. Twelve should be a good year."

He cocked his head at her. "How old are you, Ryann?"

"Nineteen. I'll be twenty in a couple of weeks. I don't seem that old, huh?"

Carl shook his head seriously. "You look younger."

Ryann laughed. "Yeah, well that's both a curse and a blessing." She looked over at Carol's daughter sitting next to Carl. "How old are you? Your name is Sophia, right?"

When Sophia nodded, Ryann felt pleased that she had guessed correctly. "I'm twelve," she stated. "I won't be thirteen for a long time." She seemed a little put out by this. Ryann grinned at her and reached around Carl to gently tug at her hair. Sophia laughed and pushed her hand away.

Carl looked over at Nikole. "What about you? Are you nineteen too?"

Nikole, in a rare moment of kindness, answered him. "No, I'm twenty-two."

Sophia looked back and forth between Ryann and Nikole. "You two don't really look alike. Are you really sisters?"

Nikole shrugged. "Stepsisters. My daddy took pity on her and her momma a long time ago. He spoiled Sarah rotten before she went and got herself sick."

Ryann frowned at her but didn't say anything about her words. "Nikole and I are only related by marriage. It's why we don't look alike. My dad looked a lot different than Jack, and that's where I get most of my looks from."

Jack suddenly appeared. "You know better than to talk about your dad, girl. He was worthless, and I told you I never wanted you to mention him again."

Ryann glared at him. "My father was a good man. The only reason my mom married you is because cancer took him away from her." She felt really brave in the moment, but even as she said it, she knew that her next words were the stupidest she'd ever uttered. "At least he never hit her."

Everyone nearby froze and a tense silence surrounded them all. When Jack took a slow, determined step forward, Ryann scrambled to her feet. Carl and Sophia inched away, closer to their mothers. Even Nikole looked on in shocked fear.

Everyone waited with bated breath for Jack's next move. He opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly the radio crackled. Their heads all whipped around at the sound. There was more silence, before they finally heard static and a few distorted words. "Hello? Can anybody hear me?"

Dale hurried forward and began clambering up onto the RV. Shane, Lori, and Ryann followed close behind. The rest of the group gathered around.

"Base camp, this is T-Dog. Can anybody hear me?"

Dale had reached the radio. "Hello? Hello? Reception's bad on this end. Repeat. Repeat."

They strained to hear T-Dog through the static. "Shane, is that you? We're trapped in the department store."

Ryann saw Lori and Carol exchange a fearful look. "Did they say they're trapped?" Shane muttered quietly.

T-Dog's voice broke through the static once more. "Geeks all over the place. We're surrounded."

Ryann bit her lip. She just found this group. She had hoped it would be safe, but now there were some of their group members stuck in the city, surrounded by the walkers. Her stomach dropped. These people didn't deserve any of this.

Dale clutched the radio. "T-Dog, repeat that last, repeat." There was only static in response.

"He said the department store," Lori said after a moment. "Shane-"

"No way!" he yelled. "We do not go after them. We do not risk the rest of the group. Y'all know that." Ryann frowned. As much as she disliked her family, she would tear through buildings of geeks to get to them. She could only imagine what some of the others were going through.

Amy- Dale had introduced Ryann to a few others during lunch- looked outraged. "We're just going to leave her there? She volunteered to go, to help the rest of us." Ryann knew that many others had volunteered as well. It was a little selfish of Amy to only focus on her sister, but given the circumstances, Ryann decided not to bring that up.

Shane looked very much like a cop just then, like he was placating a druggie going through withdrawal. "I know," he murmured. "She knew the risks, right? See, if she's trapped, she's gone. So we just have to deal with that. There's nothing we can do."

Ryann seriously thought Amy was going to punch Shane in the jaw. "She's my sister, you son of a bitch." She turned and ran off, her shoulder slamming into Ryann's and making her stumble back a couple of steps. She scowled and rubbed the sore joint but decided not to hold it against the girl.

Lori followed after Amy. The rest of the group was quiet for a few moments, struggling to come to terms with this new information. Most of the group wandered off to deal with their own thoughts, or to handle one of their various chores. Sighing, Ryann decided to head to the quarry.

The group had formed a path from their constant treks to the water and Ryann was able to follow it easily. She wandered aimlessly, thinking back to the group in Atlanta. They needed help, and Shane wanted them to just turn the other way.

Ryann had never been one to ignore another's pain. Total strangers had come to realize that Ryann was a modern saint, eager to ease another's troubles and fears.

She chewed her lip, her mind buzzing with a thousand thoughts per minute. Ryann knew she wasn't the best when it came to fighting the zombies. She was quick and light on her feet, but she wasn't strong or skilled with some of the more silent weapons. Perhaps she would change that soon. Maybe one of the group members would teach her.

She was sitting on a log, staring at the water, when a twig snapped behind her. In one movement, Ryann was on her feet and twisted around to face the threat. At the moment, she couldn't see anything.

Ryann studied the trees, searching for some sign of the intruder. Her palms started to sweat as she imagined a walker leaping out of the foliage and tearing into her face. She braced herself to run.

Another twig snapped and some leaves rustled. Ryann couldn't quite contain her whimper of fear.

Suddenly, Amy popped out from between a couple of trees. She pulled up short when she saw Ryann, who was now sagging in relief. "I thought you were a damn zombie," she mumbled.

Amy smirked, although her amusement didn't reach her eyes. "Sorry. Maybe I'll wear a bell around my neck for you." Ryann laughed pleasantly. Amy sank down on the log next to Ryann. "I came here to escape Lori and her millions of questions."

Ryann smiled sympathetically even as Amy rolled her eyes. "I think Lori wants them back as much as you do. Carl said that they lost his dad- I think his name was Rick- right as all this started. Lori must know how you're feeling."

Amy sighed and her shoulders slumped slightly. "I know," she whispered. "It's just that Andrea is all I have left. I really can't lose her too. I can't stand this."

Ryann sat quietly for a moment. "Maybe they'll make it back on their own. Yeah, that guy on the radio said they were trapped, but that could be panic talking. I'm sure once they calm down they'll put their heads together and find a way out."

Amy was frowning, her eyes distant and her brow furrowed. "What if they don't? Shane won't let anyone go out there. I can't go alone, I'd never survive it."

Ryann thought long and hard about her next words. "Okay, what about this," she murmured, gaining Amy's full attention. "If they're not back by tomorrow morning, we'll head out. You and me. I'm not the best person to have on your side, but I'll do anything to make sure you don't lose your sister. That kind of makes me an asset, right?"

Amy gave her a broad grin before throwing her arms around the older girl. "Thank you! I really appreciate it. I know you really have no reason to help out, but I'm so thankful that you're still willing to." Ryann returned her smile, knowing she couldn't have lived with herself if she hadn't at least offered her assistance.

The girls talked a bit longer. Amy was still upset about her sister, but she seemed brighter now that there was a plan to get her back. They had just decided to walk back to the camp when they heard the strangest sound. They shared a confused glance before quickly joining the others.

Dale was up on the RV, a pair of binoculars pressed to his eyes. The rest of the group was gathered around, looking concerned. The strange sound the girls had heard was still faint, but it was steadily getting louder. Whatever it was, it was coming towards them.

"Talk to me Dale," Shane called out.

Dale was still peering through the binoculars. "Can't tell yet." Ryann looked around at the others and decided she wanted to see for herself. She started to climb up onto the RV.

"Is it them?" Amy asked, a worried note still in her voice. "Are they back?"

Ryann reached Dale just as he muttered, "I'll be damned." Without another word, he passed the binoculars over.

"What is it?" Amy demanded. Her fear made her voice a bit hoarse.

Ryann raised the binoculars up and waited for them to focus. Dale pointed in the direction she should look and it didn't take long for her to spot what he had seen. A red car was tearing up the road, heading straight for them. "It looks like a stolen car," she called down to Amy.

The loud wailing noise finally clicked in everyone's heads as a car alarm. It had been too long since they'd heard one, they'd almost forgotten.

They all turned to where the car would soon appear as Dale and Ryann climbed down to join the rest of them. After a minute, the red car pulled up, the deafening siren making Ryann cover her ears.

A Korean guy leapt out, a broad grin on his face. "Holy crap, turn that damn thing off!" Dale yelled. Shane ran towards the car while Amy sprinted towards the guy.

"Pop the hood, Glenn!" Shane yelled.

"Where's Andrea?" Amy demanded of the guy Shane had called Glenn. "Where is my sister? Why isn't she with you?"

"Pop the damn hood!"

"Is she okay? Was she hurt?"

"She's okay!" Glenn yelled, holding up his hands. He leaned inside the car and popped the hood. Jim quickly disabled the alarm. "She's fine. Everybody is. Well, Merle not so much."

Shane looked pissed enough to kill everybody in sight. "Are you crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here? Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?"

"I think we're okay," Dale said. At Shane's look of incredulity, he explained his reasoning. "The alarm was echoing all over these hills, it's hard to pinpoint the source." He looked over at Glenn. "It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little carefully next time, would it?"

Glenn looked sheepish. "Sorry. I got a cool car…"

Ryann was close enough that she could murmur to him and not be heard by anyone else. "_Very _cool car." He grinned over at her, and then did a double take when he realized he hadn't seen her before. She smirked but turned when another vehicle pulled up.

An older blonde woman was the first one out, and she and Amy ran to each other. They wrapped their arms around each other like they refused to let go. Ryann figured she could safely assume that Andrea had returned.

A black man limped towards the group with a black woman helping him. A Hispanic guy came towards them, swinging a couple of kids up into his arms before stepping forward to kiss a beautiful Hispanic woman.

Dale pulled the Hispanic guy in for a hug. "You are a welcome sight, Morales. I thought we'd lost you folks for sure."

"How'd y'all get out of there anyway?" Shane asked.

Glenn grinned and looked over at the truck. "New guy. He got us out."

Ryann stopped listening to their conversation and refocused in on Amy and Andrea's reunion. She wished her family loved her that much. She knew they probably wouldn't blink twice if Ryann was stuck in some department store in a big city that was overrun with walkers. She sighed and turned away, intending to go to her tent.

As she walked in that general direction, she noticed Lori was crouched down, talking to Carl. It was probably hard for him growing up in this world, seeing the dangers of it every day. She slowed to a halt as he turned and looked past her.

Carl's entire face lit up, like a boy on Christmas day. She hadn't seen that kind of joy in a long time and whipped around to see the cause of it. A new man had walked forward from the truck. He wore a uniform, signaling he had either been a cop or had borrowed clothes from one. Ryann was willing to bet on the former with the way he carried himself. He had a beard forming at his jaw, which just made his blue eyes pop more. Eyes that looked oddly familiar…

"Dad!" she heard Carl shout before he sprinted to the man.

"Wow" was the only coherent thought that would come to Ryann's mind for several long minutes. She watched the man grab Carl and collapse in obvious relief before picking him up and running to Lori.

All the color had drained from the woman's face as she stared at him in shock. She held him close, mouth open in a silent "o" of surprise. Ryann saw Lori's gaze meet Shane's over Rick's shoulder before a shadow passed over the woman's face. Ryann frowned for a moment, but quickly shrugged it off.

Ryann looked on in awe, stunned that this woman and her son had been reunited with a man they had been so sure was dead. In this new world, it was a miracle. Amy had found her sister again and another family was together once more. Ryann knew that everybody's situation hadn't really changed, but witnessing this had given her hope. Smiling to herself, she went to her tent and collapsed on one of the sleeping bags, instantly falling asleep.

When Ryann woke up a few hours later and finished her few chores, it was dark and Jim and Morales made some beans and squirrel. Ryann wasn't sure that squirrel was something that should replace pork in such a popular dish, but it was a welcome change from chicken noodle soup and green beans.

The group had broken off into separate circles around their own campfires. Ryann sat between Amy and Dale on the log she had sat on earlier in the day. Before dinner, she had been introduced to Andrea, Rick, T-Dog, Morales, Glenn, and Jacqui. They made up the group that had been in Atlanta, all except for a man named Merle.

Rick had talked about what it was like when he had woken up to find the world destroyed and his family gone. Ryann remembered what it had been like the day they left. Ryann and Nikole still lived with Jack, both by force and by choice. Jack didn't want to lose control over his stepdaughter, and Nikole didn't want to give up the benefits of living rent free.

Ryann and Nikole both attended the same college. Jack had beaten Ryann the night before, so Nikole had offered to cart her stepsister around all day. They drove up to the campus twenty minutes late. Ironically, their tardiness had saved their lives.

Teachers were chasing their students, students were tearing into their friends, and every security personnel they could find was ripping into the stomachs of someone on the campus. Blood coated the streets as if it had poured from the clouds. Screams assaulted their ears.

The girls sat in shock, unable to process any of the mayhem before them. When a fellow student turned and came charging towards the car, blood and flesh dripping down his front and caught in his teeth, Nikole sped away.

They went home, passing more and more chaos that hadn't been present minutes before on their drive to the school. They barely made it out. Ryann lost her horse to the horde, and Nikole had to sacrifice her Pomeranian.

Ryann still got chills when she thought about it. She and Nikole had held each other in the backseat of Jack's BMW. Ryann had never been more terrified, and even her family found solace near her.

Ryann was snapped out of her thoughts when Dale spoke up. "Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind."

Ryann shuddered. She didn't know Daryl, but she assumed there would be hell to pay. T-Dog looked sick to his stomach. "I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me."

Rick shook his head. "I cuffed him. That makes him mine."

Glenn looked exasperated. "Guys! It's not a competition." He glanced at T-Dog, cleared his throat, and continued. "I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy." They all knew he had a point.

"I did what I did," T-Dog murmured. "Hell if I'm gonna hide from it."

Amy chewed her lip. "We could lie," she suggested softly.

"Or tell the truth," Andrea retorted, not even giving Amy's suggestion time to brew in anyone's mind. "Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he'd have gotten us killed." She looked over at Lori. "Your husband did what was necessary. And if Merle got left behind, then it's nobody's fault but Merle's."

"And that's what we tell Daryl?" Dale demanded incredulously. "I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you? Word to the wise, we're gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt."

Ryann moaned softly at this. "More drama," she muttered softly. That's just _super, _she thought to herself. Dale smirked and patted her hand.

They sat in thoughtful silence until T-Dog's voice broke through the quiet. "I was scared, and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it."

Andrea frowned over at him. "We were all scared and we all ran. What's your point?"

He took a deep breath. "I stopped long enough to chain that door. Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It's not enough to break through it. Not that chain. Not that padlock." The entire group was caught up in his words, fascinated by them. "My point: Dixon's alive. He's still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us."

Ryann felt the group's shock merge with her own. That was absolutely horrifying, knowing that a man was trapped somewhere like that. He had no water, no shelter from the sun, and had walkers leaping at the door just feet away from him. The guy had to be going crazy.

Ryann didn't know Daryl Dixon, but she was sure that when he found out about his brother the next day, all kinds of shit was going to hit the figurative fan. She went to bed when the others did, dreading having to tell the man his brother was dying slowly and painfully, simply because another man dropped the key that would have freed him. Oh Lord, what had she and her family gotten themselves into?

**..**

**So how'd everybody like it? Your opinions are very much appreciated, and any feedback you can give will help. This chapter didn't allow me to develop Ryann's character very well, but I'm hoping the next chapter will be better. If you've read this far through, I love you already. If you've reviewed- or plan on reviewing- I love you even more! Seriously, I need to know what you guys think :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Road Trip, Anyone?

**The only part I own is my OCs. But they're pretty darn good, right? :D I want to thank everyone who's reviewed so far, you've made me so much more motivated to continue this story. I'm about to get to more juicy parts too! Enjoy!**

**..**

**Chapter 3: Road Trip, Anyone?**

Ryann was up before the rest of camp began moving around. She approached the RV where Shane was up keeping watch. "Hey," she whispered softly. He looked over at her, his expression blank. "Can I join you?" He nodded and resumed looking out into the woods.

Ryann climbed up, moving over and sitting close to him, her elbows resting on her knees. They sat in silence for a while until Ryann decided to voice her thoughts. "It's amazing that Rick made it back."

Shane gave her a startled glance before shifting in his seat. "Yeah," he muttered. "Amazing."

"That's gotta be a miracle, right? Things like that don't happen, not anymore." When he merely nodded, Ryann realized he didn't really want to talk about it. That disturbed her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on the reason why.

She changed the subject. "Shane, didn't you say you used to be a cop?"

He peeked at her out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah… why?"

She grinned. "Got any good war stories?"

He chuckled. "I might have a few. You sure you wanna hear one?"

She laughed softly. "Are you kidding me? I want to hear them all!" She snuggled down into her sweater and gave him her full attention.

Shane seemed lighter now, more playful. Ryann found she liked this side of him. Maybe with Rick here, Shane wouldn't have to shoulder all the responsibility and could actually _live_ again.

"So there was this one night when Rick and I were on patrol. There was nothing going on, so we were bullshittin', just sitting around eating some of Wayne's famous chili. We were over by the park, in our patrol car. There was a bar not too far away. Some drunks would cut through the park when they finally decided to stagger home."

When he grinned, Ryann couldn't help but return his smile. She knew this was going to be good. "And?" she demanded when he didn't continue. "Did something happen?"

"We weren't really doing a good job of watching out for anything, 'cause one second we were talkin', and the next there was a guy getting slammed up against our car. We got out and wrestled the guys apart." When Ryann frowned, as if the story wasn't all that juicy, he grinned again.

"The kicker was that they were both naked. Rick and I had to tackle two buck ass naked guys and, while they were wiggling all over the place, we had to pin 'em down and handcuff 'em. I swear we spent three hours scrubbing the leather seats in the back of the car."

Ryann wrapped her arms around her stomach as she giggled uncontrollably, trying to smother her laughter. She could just imagine two manly men like Shane and Rick having to touch a couple of drunken naked guys.

"Oh God," she moaned as she wiped tears from her eyes. "Please tell me something else."

He considered his next story. "You're not religious, are you?" She shrugged. "Okay well one time, I was making my rounds and a call came in. They couldn't even tell me what had happened. They were all laughing their asses off. So I got curious, ya know? I managed to get the address from 'em and went to investigate."

"The address was to the Miller's farm. At first I was confused. I mean, Ben was a preacher and Marge was a nurse. They weren't the kind of folks to get into trouble. But I found Ben in the barn, drunk and stoned. He and his wife had apparently gotten in a fight, and he decided to seek solace in the comforts of the illegal stuff."

Ryann's jaw fell and she just gaped at him in surprise. Shane chuckled a bit at her reaction. "Oh you haven't heard the best part. He was feeling so good, he wanted someone else to join in on the party." Ryann raised her eyebrows and scooted closer, eager for more. "He had a new _friend. _It was Snuggles, Marge's goat."

Ryann gasped. "No way! He screwed a goat?"

Shane laughed. "Yep. He stepped down after that."

Ryann giggled again. "I would too. But, then again, I doubt I'd ever turn to bestiality."

Shane grinned. "There are still too many willing men in the world for that." Ryann had to agree with him.

Ryann noticed a couple people in the group had started waking up and moving around, starting their day. She stretched and glanced over at the rising sun, a small smile on her lips. She didn't notice Shane staring intently at Lori as the woman clambered out of her tent.

"Well, I'm gonna go," she told him, making Shane's gaze snap towards her. She smiled at him. "Thanks for the laughs Shane." He mumbled an incoherent reply as she made her way to the ground.

After breakfast, Ryann decided to take a bath. She approached Amy, who was sorting through some berries the group had gathered. "Hey Amy, do you have any soap or anything?"

Amy smiled up at her. "Heading to the quarry for a bath?" Ryann nodded. "Sure. Here, let me grab it real quick."

She came back with a bottle of shampoo, a bar of soap, and a towel. "Here ya go. Sorry it's not the best stuff. But it works."

Ryann shot her a grateful smile. "Thanks, it's perfect." She turned and headed to the quarry.

After checking to make sure no one was around, Ryann stripped and slid into the water, sighing in content. She lost track of time as she scrubbed her skin and scalp, rinsing out her hair. She had just climbed out of the water and was toweling off when she heard a shout.

Ryann froze in place, only her eyes moving as she scanned the trees around her. She waited anxiously for another sound to alert her to the danger.

"Mom! Dad!" she heard Carl shout.

"Momma! Daddy!" Sophia screamed.

Ryann threw on her clothes and tugged on her boots before running in the direction the shouts had come from. She crashed through the trees until she reached a path she could follow. "Guys? Are y'all alright?"

Lori and Carol had their arms wrapped around their children, trying to calm them. A few of the guys had gathered a few feet away, carrying bats and axes and a pitchfork. Frowning, Ryann made her way forward.

What she saw made her heart drop. There was a walker crouched over a deer, chowing down on its neck. There were three arrows in the deer's side. The walker didn't even have to fight for this meal. It was practically served up on a silver platter.

Ryann stood by Amy and Andrea, who were close enough to watch everything but far enough back to stay out of the way of danger. Ryann saw the walker glance up and see the men gathered around it. It snarled and clambered to its feet.

Ryann grimaced at the blood dripping out of its mouth and the gaping hole in its stomach. Even from where she stood, she could smell its rotten flesh. "Good God," she murmured.

It turned this way and that, taking in the potential snacks in front of it. Before it could attack, Rick swung his weapon. Shane followed suit before the rest of the guys joined in. They beat it, their weapons breaking its bones with sickening crunches. Finally, Dale cut off its head.

"Oh God," Amy groaned before Andrea ushered her away.

Ryann was disgusted, but she forced herself to step closer. "Was that what made the kids scream?" she asked. Rick nodded and wiped his brow as Ryann's stomach turned over at the thought of what could have happened.

Dale glanced around, almost as if he expected more geeks to leap out of the trees. "It's the first one we've had up here. They never come this far up the mountain."

"They're running out of food in the city," Jim offered.

Shane rubbed the back of his neck. "We gotta be more careful, set up more tripwires around the perimeter."

"Maybe the kids shouldn't be left alone," Ryann said. "Something could have happened to them, or they could accidentally lead one back to us."

Rick nodded at her suggestion. "You're right. The world is too dangerous to let them wander around on their own."

They heard twigs snapping and leaves rustling and everyone got tense. They raised their weapons and Ryann moved back out of the way. The anticipation made the air seem thick and tangible and Ryann held her breath.

Suddenly a guy broke through the trees, and for a second, she thought it was another walker. But then he stopped when he noticed the weapons raised in his direction, and the guys exhaled with relief before relaxing. Ryann realized they knew this man well.

She noticed his crossbow and figured he was the one who graciously fed the walker with his arrows. He looked as dirty as a walker and wore a tattered shirt with the sleeves cut off. Amy had told her that Daryl was a redneck and now she could believe it.

"Son of a bitch!" he snarled with a thick accent. "That's my deer! Look at it, all gnawed on by this filthy," he kicked the walker's side, "diseased bearing," he kicked it again, "bastard!"

"Calm down son," Dale said in a voice that signaled Daryl's antics were nothing new. "That's not helping."

Daryl got in his face and Ryann took a step closer. She liked Dale and wasn't going to let someone try to intimidate him. "What do you know about it old man?" he demanded.

He moved back to the deer and looked down at it, sighed tiredly, and removed one of the arrows. "Been tracking this deer for miles." Another arrow slid loose with a sickening wet sound. "Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison." He removed the last arrow and crouched down, investigating the damage to the neck. "Wha' do ya think? Think we could cut around this chewed up part right here?"

Ryann almost gagged. She wouldn't touch anything a walker had put near its mouth. Shane obviously agreed with her. "I would not risk that," he muttered. Glenn nodded vigorously to signal his opinion on the matter.

Daryl sighed again, this time in obvious disappointment, although he didn't seem surprised about them not wanting to eat the deer. "That's a damn shame. Well I got some squirrel, about a dozen or so." Ryann finally noticed the small rodents strung together at his side. The sight of it was impressive. He must've used his bow to catch them, and Ryann knew from experience how wily they could be. "That'll have to do."

The walker's head suddenly twitched and it started gnawing on the air, unable to reach the humans. Ryann almost leapt out of her skin, having expected it to be dead. Then she realized they'd merely cut off its head. "Come on people, what the hell?" Daryl demanded as he lowered his crossbow and took aim. With a soft _twang, _the walker was dead with an arrow through the eye. "It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothin'?" He removed the arrow and made his way to the main part of their camp.

They all looked at him warily as he started calling out for Merle. Shane told him that they needed to talk and that there'd been a problem in Atlanta, and Ryann saw the redneck glance around briefly. She tensed when his eyes flickered over her, but he was too on edge to really see anything. He was just looking at their expressions, seeing the same things: fear, apprehension, pity.

She knew it was the pity that got to him. "He dead?" he asked with obvious reluctance.

Shane was equally reluctant to say the next words he uttered. "Not sure."

And that's when all hell broke loose. Daryl, overcome with roiling emotions at the thought of losing his brother, tried to attack Rick after he claimed to be the reason Merle was handcuffed to the roof. Ryann bit her lip as she watched them struggle and Shane put him in a headlock. She stepped forward and reached a hand out, but stopped herself. She knew they wouldn't hurt Daryl, and he was just upset.

After they let him go, T-Dog told him that the door was chained and that's why Merle was possibly still alive, if exposure and dehydration hadn't killed him. Daryl wiped his eyes and Ryann felt her heart ache for him.

"The hell with all of y'all!" he shouted. "Just tell me where he is, so's I can go get him." His voice cracked in pain.

Lori turned to Rick, her expression unreadable. "He'll show you, isn't that right?"

Rick gazed back at her for a while before he nodded. "I'm going back." Everyone got quiet as they dealt with this bomb. Ryann processed it for a second before realizing what she was going to do. With a determined stride, she turned and walked to the tent.

Nikole followed her and Jack was already there, lying back on the only cot they'd been given. "Tell me you're not going into the city," Nikole said with a condescending tone.

Ryann gave her a fake smile. "Worried about me sis?" she asked sarcastically. She began to rummage in her bag. "I'll be fine."

Nikole was frowning at her. "He's white trash, Ryann! Why do you care about his hick brother? It's not worth getting eaten alive."

Ryann stopped what she was doing and looked up at her. Nikole genuinely sounded like she cared. Before she could say anything, Jack spoke up. "Let her go, Nikole," he said in a bored tone.

Ryann turned on him faster than a rabid dog. "It's no surprise you want me to go," she hissed. She'd really developed a backbone since they joined a group. She wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that her family wasn't all she had anymore. "I'll bet you just want me dead."

He jumped to his feet, practically roaring at her. "You're damn right! You're not good for anything, you little bitch."

She snarled in response. "I kept you alive, asshole. While you were sitting on your ass, I was running into stores grabbing food and blankets and water. Nikole doesn't know how to survive in the wild, I get that. You've spoiled her all her life, I get that too. But you're a grown man, and you sent _me _to do all the hard work!"

He punched her in the mouth, making her fall back on her butt. Ryann could taste blood in her mouth and knew he'd split her lip. Nikole looked uneasy, like she always did when they got into a huge fight, but Jack looked nothing short of murderous.

Glaring, Nikole grabbed all her stuff and left the tent, immediately heading to the RV. Dale smiled as she approached, but the greeting instantly fell away when he saw her lip and the look in her eyes.

"Is it alright if I throw my things into the RV for now?" she asked. "I can't be around him for a while."

Dale nodded vigorously and helped her put her things under the table, out of the way. "You want to talk about it?"

Ryann sighed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, staring down at the blood for a moment. "Thank you, but not right now. There's no telling what I'd say. I may take you up on that offer soon though."

Dale gave her a small smile and patted her shoulder. Just like that, he took Ryann under his wing. Grateful, she gave him a small hug, surprising him, before she left the RV and headed to the quarry.

The rest of the group had started to gather so they could see Rick and Daryl off, so Ryann knew she had to hurry. She'd left Amy's things, as well as her own clothes, when she'd run off to see if the kids were okay. She was extra cautious, knowing that more walkers could be nearby, but she didn't run into anything unwelcome.

By the time she got back, Rick and T-Dog were walking up to Dale. Ryann headed into the RV and grabbed her bag. She took it with her to the tiny bathroom so she could change. Pulling on jeans, a tank top, and a worn long sleeved shirt, she deemed herself fit to travel in the city. She pulled her hair back and pulled on a camouflage hat, then tied the laces to her combat boots. She tossed the bag back under the table and walked out.

She approached the van where Daryl and Glenn were waiting. "Ryann, wait!" She turned to her sister.

Nikole looked uncomfortable. "How's your lip?" Ryann touched it, almost forgetting it was there, and shrugged. Nikole sighed. "Here." She handed her a small hunting knife. "I got it from them," she said as she gestured to Morales and his family.

Ryann fingered the blade, in shock that her stepsister was being so nice. "Thank you Nikole," she whispered. She reached out to touch her shoulder, but she suddenly stepped back.

"Just don't get yourself eaten out there Butch," she spat before walking away. Ryann sighed. Here she thought they were having a bonding moment.

She turned back to the van, seeing Daryl pacing. "Hey."

He paused and looked over at her.

She raised her hand. "Give me a boost?" He glared, but she didn't relent. Finally, he gripped her hand and hauled her up.

"Shouldn't be here, girly," he hissed through his teeth. "We won't be able to save your skinny little ass whenever you screw up." He raked his hands through his hair, full of pent up energy.

Ryann rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm not asking you to. I just want to help."

"Why?" he spat. "Why in the hell do you care?"

Ryann was used to her family's behavior, so Daryl's attitude didn't faze her. "You wouldn't understand." He scoffed. "I help people. It's what I do. My family may hate my guts, but we're still family. I'll always go after them, always protect them. I can only imagine what you're going through. I've lost people before, and I don't want you to have to go through that too. So, I'm going. And if y'all kick me off this van, I'll walk there."

He gazed back at her with surprise and a bit of awe in his eyes. Quickly he shook it off, growling low in his throat. He turned and stomped on the horn. "Come on! Let's go!"

Soon, Rick and T-Dog joined them. Rick shot her a confused look, and Ryann smiled. "Like I told Daryl, if y'all kick me to the curb, my stubborn ass is walking to Atlanta." Rick sighed in defeat and let it go. Glenn shot her a small smile, and T-Dog nodded his appreciation. Daryl ignored her.

For the most part, they were silent on the ride, their stomachs flipping uneasily. In an effort to ease the tension, Ryann said the first thing that came to mind. "Road trip, anyone?" Glenn and Rick were the only ones to crack smiles. T-Dog looked lost to the world, and Daryl glared over at her from his position. She sighed and stayed quiet the rest of the trip. This was going to be a long day.

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**Aaaaand there's chapter 3 :) I really hope y'all still like Ryann, she's about to get a little more feisty once they get into Atlanta. She's done taking crap! If you could review and give me your opinion, that would help me alot. What do YOU think should happen? Who do you hate the most? And what's up with Nikole being nice? I'd appreciate anything y'all could tell me about me story. Love you all!**


	4. Chapter 4: Get the Hell out of Dodge

**I own nothing (except Ryann's awesomely sexy self! and her family, but who cares about them?) Dang, this is the quickest I've uploaded another chapter. How long has it been? Like a day since the last one? I told y'all I was furiously typing this one up haha I hope you like this chapter, it's my favorite so far :)**

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**Chapter 4: Get the Hell out of Dodge**

They made it to the city unharmed and unseen by any geeks. They left the van on the outskirts of town so they'd be able to sneak through the city as silently as possible. Glenn was able to sneak them through the first couple of streets without running into more than two zombies at a time, which they were able to avoid.

They got on the street the department store was on and saw a whole lot more. "Shit," Rick hissed, barely heard by his comrades. Daryl instructed them to stay downwind as they studied their surroundings. "There are too many."

Glenn bit his lip. "If we could get them to all look that way," he whispered as he pointed to a corner a little ways from the department store, "we could sneak in. As long as there's not a horde inside, mind you."

"A distraction, huh?" Ryann muttered. She chewed her lip, accidentally breaking open the fresh cut. The geeks all lifted their heads and sniffed. A light bulb suddenly turned on in her head. "That's it!"

T-Dog gave her a wary glance. "What are you-?"

"Glenn, if one of us could get them to turn away, would you be able to get everyone else inside?" she asked excitedly.

He looked apprehensive about answering her. "I guess… But I don't want to sacrifice someone just because we can't think of anything else."

She shook her head. "I'm quick, they won't get me. Listen, as soon as they all look in that direction, I want y'all to go."

Rick was clearly in disagreement with her plan. "We're not letting you-"

She shook her head and cut him off as well. "I'll be fine. Just go."

Daryl grabbed her arm. "No! We'll figure something else-"

"There's no time!" she hissed without heat. They could hear the walkers stumbling closer, drawn in by the smell of her blood. "Save your brother, Daryl." She gave him an easy grin. "I'll catch up to ya in a bit."

She winked, and then leapt to her feet. "Yo! Lame-brains! See anything you like?" The zombies snarled when they caught sight of her and she took off. There were about twenty on the street and more stumbling closer from another. She zigzagged in and out, angling away from her friends and their destination.

"Come on, slow pokes!" she taunted, keeping their attention. "Can't catch me if you don't put any effort into it!"

She led them around the corner and down the street a ways. When she figured they were far enough, she cut into an alley and searched quickly, hearing her followers approaching, hot on her trail. "Bingo!"

Ryann ran over to the nearest fire escape and leaped up, barely grabbing the bottom bar. Thankful for the gymnastics her mother had forced her to suffer through, Ryann pulled herself up just as the first zombie reached the fire escape. His fingers missed her boots by inches.

Ryann was pleased with herself for pulling the geeks away from her friends. Aware that they wouldn't stay long after she disappeared, she pulled out the knife Nikole had given her. Zombies were attracted to the smell of blood, so she carefully sliced her palm and wiped it across the bars all around her. It reminded her of holding a treat too far up above her stepsister's dog, forcing him to leap and beg for it. Only this time, the creatures down below wanted her flesh, not a piece of cheese.

She tore a strip of cloth off of her shirt and bandaged her hand so more geeks wouldn't try to follow her later. Her lip had finally stopped bleeding and she kept reminding herself to not bite it and break open the wound again. Carefully, she climbed up to the roof.

Within minutes, she had gone down the fire escape on the other side of the building and half-ran half-crouched over to the department store. The walkers that had littered the street moments before were now temporarily occupied somewhere else, so she didn't have to fight any off.

She stepped inside the store, noting the bodies of walkers that her friends had taken down. It looked like most of them had wandered out of the store. Ryann prayed the rest of the zombies would be gone from the stairwell.

No such luck.

She crept to the stairs and eased up a couple of flights, trying to stay silent. She almost ran into Rick. "Told you I'd catch up," she whispered as quietly as she could, beaming. Daryl rolled his eyes.

Rick pointed up. "There are at least five at that door," he whispered to her. "We don't know if any more made it to any of the upper floors and we don't want to get cornered."

Ryann almost bit her lip thoughtfully but caught herself just in time. Another idea hit her. "What if we draw the walkers that are up there to us, kill them one by one as they reach our floor, and one person can somehow sneak past them with the bolt cutters?"

Glenn gave her a surprised look. "Seems like I'm not the only one who can figure out weird ways to get stuff done."

Ryann gave him a pleased smile. "I played a lot of Xbox," she teased.

Daryl scratched his head. "Okay, who's going up?" Ryann raised her eyebrows and he sighed. "Stupid question," he muttered under his breath.

Ryann shrugged. "Y'all are better at killing those things. I'm not all that great at it. I'm quick though. If I could get up there, walker-free, I could have Merle freed before y'all get done."

Daryl looked doubtful, but Rick agreed it was a good plan. They discussed it a bit and ironed out the details. They would clear the floor they were on first, using the crossbow and their blunt weapons to take the walkers out quietly. Then Ryann would hide behind the door. They'd draw the walkers in the stairwell to them, and Ryann would sneak past once the last one passed her.

Glenn was the one who crept up the stairs behind the zombies, ready to count them while acting as live bait. If there snarls were any indication, the plan was working so far.

Ryann hid behind the door as the guys lined up, drawing the walkers' attention so she could run past. They were a bit spread out to thin out the small group and give themselves more time to fight them off. Daryl had his crossbow and hunting knife, Rick and Glenn had bats, and T-Dog had a long sturdy pipe. Ryann clutched the bolt cutters as if they would save her life.

Glenn came sprinting in, gasping. "Eight! There are eight!" That meant two walkers for them each. Not good odds.

The walkers piled into the room, growling in that primal way of theirs. Ryann huddled into the door as she peeked and tried to count. When she reached eight, she turned and sprinted up the stairs. She could hear grunts from the guys, which meant they were probably struggling, but they had drilled it into her mind to keep going.

She got to the door safely and got the bolt cutters into place, glancing over her shoulder constantly, almost paralyzed with fear. Her paranoia caused her grip to slip a couple of times. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and determinedly cut through the lock.

The sudden sunlight made her blink a couple of times as her eyes adjusted. Shaking her head, she stepped through the doorway, praying that Merle would be alright. She didn't see him and her heart stopped beating. Daryl would be so upset…

She ran out onto the roof and looked around, rounding some big pieces of metal. She saw Merle and her first instinct was to be relieved before she became wary. He was still handcuffed, but he was slumped over, lying down like he had tried to crawl under the big pipe and hide from the sun.

"Merle?" she called out softly, not wanting to startle him. "Merle, are you awake?" She crept closer, noting that he didn't seem to be breathing. She felt panic bubble in her throat. There was no way they were too late.

She fell to her knees beside him and gently rolled him so he was on his back. His eyes were closed. The skin on his wrist had been rubbed raw from the handcuffs until it reached the first bit of muscle. She could even see a tendon. The skin on his face and head was blistered so badly it looked like someone stuck his head into a fire.

As softly as she could, she touched his neck to feel for his pulse. It was faint and he was barely breathing. Although he was still alive, Ryann wasn't naïve. They could still be too late.

"Merle, my name is Ryann," she cooed softly. "I'm going to try to cut you loose, okay?" She didn't know if he could hear her, but she wanted to talk to him and warn him about what she was doing anyways.

She cut through the chain on the handcuffs, catching his arm so his wrist wouldn't slam to the ground. It took her a few minutes, but she was able to cut through the metal, completely releasing him from the handcuffs.

Daryl was the first up on the roof, covered in gore. "Is he okay?" he demanded as he stalked closer. "Is he alive?"

Ryann held up her hand and kept him from touching his brother as the other guys arrived in the doorway. "He's alive, but he's weak. Please, Daryl, stay back. I need to tend to him, okay?" He unhappily did as he was told.

"T-Dog, close that door and guard it. Don't let any walkers come through it. Glenn, bring me the backpack, I need the water and medical supplies. Rick, take off your undershirt. It's clean, relatively speaking, and I'll need to wrap his wrist and form a splint. Daryl, can you find something that will help support his wrist? It looks like he broke it trying to get free."

They all rushed to do as she instructed. Glenn knelt down beside her and handed her the things she needed to clean the wound at his wrist. Merle groaned but didn't wake up. Rick handed her his shirt and she immediately began tearing it apart. She wrapped his wrist tightly, making sure to keep it loose enough so it didn't prevent circulation.

Daryl brought her a couple of tools. "There's no wood," he muttered self-consciously.

Ryann shook her head and accepted them. "These are great, thank you. Daryl, if he wakes up, he may try to punch me. Think you can hold him down?"

Daryl nodded and moved forward. Glenn pulled back to give them space. As soon as Ryann started forming the splint, Merle began thrashing. "Rick, Glenn! Help us!"

Rick helped hold his body down while Ryann and Glenn worked at his wrist as quickly as they could. Merle's eyes fluttered a bit and he groaned loudly. They managed to secure his wrist and Ryann and Glenn backed off. Merle started calming and Rick stepped back as well.

Daryl loosened his hold but still held his brother. "Merle," he whispered. "Merle, wake yer stubborn ass up."

Merle coughed but his eyes remained closed. "That you, Darylina? Well I'll be a son of a bitch. You came back for ole Merle."

"'Course I did, you idiot," Daryl muttered.

Ryann knelt down next to Merle again. "Merle?"

He cracked his eyes. "Think I've heard that voice before," he mumbled.

She smiled. "I was talking to you while you were passed out. Merle, listen to me, honey." That got his attention, the pet name. "You're dehydrated. You need to drink some water, but not too much too fast, okay? You hear me?"

He nodded, already reaching for the water. She handed it to him and he took a few gulps. Then, with obvious reluctance, he pulled the bottle away from his mouth.

He shifted and Daryl helped him sit up, his back supported by the pipe he'd been secured to. He opened his eyes and looked down at his wrist. "Damn. I thought I'd done it."

"Done what?" Daryl asked.

Merle gave him a slightly delirious grin. "Cut off my hand. Tried to get to the handsaw." They looked to where he motioned and saw his belt, which he had been using to try and pull the tool closer. "Must've passed out and dreamt it."

He looked up and gazed around at the faces. "Officer Asshole," he said in greeting. Rick's mouth formed a grim line. "Chinaman."

Glenn frowned. "I'm Korean."

Merle's gaze landed on T-Dog and he smirked tiredly. "How ya doin', coon?" T-Dog gritted his teeth in response.

His gaze finally found Ryann and his eyes cleared and widened a bit. "Well hello sugar tits."

Daryl shot her an apologetic look, but she smirked at his brother. "Yo redneck, my eyes are up here." She pointed to her face. "You really are white trash, ain't ya?"

Merle laughed softly. "I like her. Let's keep her," he said to Daryl.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she's wonderful. We'll never let her go." Ryann grinned at his sarcastic tone.

Glenn turned and began to look around, planning out their exit from the city. Rick looked down at the street, praying they'd get to grab his bag of guns without any problems. There were walkers roaming all over now, since the prize of Ryann's blood on the fire escape had long since dried up.

Ryann applied ointment to Merle's face, coating as many blisters as she could. She winced every time he did. "Sorry, sorry, sorry."

Daryl played with his knife, studying her. Ryann could feel his gaze heating the back of her neck and it made her blush.

Merle noticed. "Girly, you get a heat flash or somethin'?" Her blush deepened and he grinned broadly before wincing as he stressed the blisters. "Whatcha blushin' for, darlin'?"

Daryl's head rose a bit and Ryann ducked hers. "No reason. Now shut the hell up." Merle laughed.

Glenn, Rick, and T-Dog gathered close after a while once Ryann was done and Merle was merely resting and sipping his water. They'd given him a bit of granola bar to help him gain energy without overdoing it.

Glenn had come up with a plan. "Okay, here's what we'll do." He gave them a rundown of his plan.

Ryann shook her head. "No. Bad idea. It's suicide!"

Rick nodded. "I agree. You're not doing this."

Daryl sighed. "Hell, I don't even like you and I think it's a bad idea."

Glenn gave them an exasperated look. "It's a good idea. Would you just hear me out? If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast." Ryann frowned. He had a point.

"Look." He grabbed the bag of tools and random other objects. With the tools, he made a makeshift map of the roads around them. He used the medical supplies, bottle of water, and the rest of the granola bar as placeholders.

"Here's the tank," he said as he placed the ointment on one of the "roads." He picked up a band aid. "It's five blocks from where we are now. That's the bag of guns. Here's the alley I dragged you into when we first met," he said to Rick as he pointed. "That's where Daryl and I will go."

Daryl's eyebrows furrowed. "Why me?"

"Your crossbow is quieter than his gun," Glenn stated logically. "While Daryl waits here in the alley, I'll run up the street and grab the bag."

Rick was studying their map. "But you've got us elsewhere?"

Glenn nodded. "You and T-Dog. You'll be in this alley here."

"Two blocks away? Why?"

"I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off. If that happens, I won't go back to Daryl. I'll go forward instead." They all watched intently as he pushed the water bottle along to demonstrate. "All the way around where you guys are. Whichever direction I go, I've got you in both places to cover me. Afterwards, we'll meet back here, at the department store."

Ryann spoke up, voicing her doubts. "And you said Merle and I wouldn't be part of this plan…"

He nodded again. "Merle's weak, and you said yourself that you're no good at fighting the walkers. You're quiet and sneaky and think quickly on your feet. You can get Merle to the van without any trouble, no doubt about that. We'll get the guns, meet back here, and then head your way."

Ryann sat back, thoroughly impressed. Glenn was another kind of creature altogether. There was no one quite as brilliant as he was at getting out of sticky situation. He'd thought of everything.

Daryl seemed to be considering something. "Hey kid, what'd you do before all this?"

"Delivered pizzas, why?" They sent each other glances and smiled.

About twenty minutes later, they had split up. Ryann allowed Merle to throw an arm across her shoulders and lean heavily on her as she led him away from the store. They crouched in the shadows, avoiding the few walkers they passed. They were quiet and low-key enough to not gain attention.

Although Merle was so weak that he could barely walk, they successfully made it to the van. Ryann wanted to scream with joy, but then that would negate the whole sneak-past-the-zombies thing. She helped into the back of the van and sat in the passenger seat, keeping an eye out for walkers and her friends. Soon, Merle was snoring.

Ryann smiled. She knew Merle was weak, but he still managed to be rough around the edges. However, she found that she liked him. Everyone's warnings seemed like overkill know that she'd met the man they so despised.

Daryl kind of had a harsh attitude too, but Ryann found that she respected him. Daryl had a strong personality, just like his older brother. The Dixons were not to be messed with. She liked that about them.

Ryann started thinking about her family. She knew that if one of them had been in Merle's position, she would have done exactly what Daryl did. Family was important to her. No matter what, family should stick together.

But she didn't know if Nikole or Jack would reciprocate. She highly doubted they would, which made her queasy when she thought about it. She'd known them for almost fifteen years now. Not one moment had they ever truly treated her like family. It depressed her to know that, ultimately, she was alone.

Ryann didn't know exactly how long she had been musing over all this, but she knew it'd been well over an hour. The guys should have made it back by now. She glanced back at Merle, but he was sleeping. She thought about going into the city and looking for them, but she had no idea where they might be. They could have had to hole up somewhere.

She got out of the van to pace, thinking through every possibility and solution. She could go into the city, leaving Merle here, to look for the guys. But if they'd had to go way off course, she could just end up being a walking TV dinner for the geeks. She could drive back to camp and ensure Merle was safe and sound. But he'd be pissed she left Daryl, and she could be sentencing the guys to their doom. She decided to pace and wait and pray.

After what seemed like hours, but could have also been twenty minutes, her friends slipped through the fence and hurried over to her.

"Oh my God, you're alive!" She wrapped her arms around Glenn, since he'd been the closest, and squeezed. Glenn grinned and patted her back.

"What the hell took you so long?" Merle demanded from inside the van. "That girl's been chewin' off her fingernails and wearin' holes into the bottoms of her damn shoes."

Daryl glanced at her as if to affirm that she'd been worried. Her sheepish smile answered his unspoken question.

Rick was glancing around. "Let's head back, we can explain on the way." They all piled into the van and took off.

Glenn and Rick were in the front seats, T-Dog was sitting right behind the passenger seat with his head tilted back, Merle was leaned up against the side of the van with his long legs stretched out, Ryann was sitting next to him with her elbows on her bent knees, and Daryl was leaned against the side opposite Ryann with one knee bent and one stretched out in front of him.

"Chinaman got himself kidnapped, and we had to go rescue him," Daryl said.

Ryann gaped and Merle gave his brother a confused look, as if Daryl was high.

Glenn sighed and explained it a bit better. "I grabbed the bag of guns and these Hispanic guys showed up, demanding the guns. They managed to grab me but not the guns and took off, leaving one of their guys behind. The guys got him to talk, and went to visit the people who took me. They said they wanted the guns. Turns out they were staying at a nursing home that was full of old people who wouldn't survive without them and they just wanted protection."

Merle snorted. "Shoulda killed 'em."

Ryann frowned at him and lightly slapped his shoulder, making Daryl shoot her a surprised look. No one ever behaved around his brother the way she did. "You gave them some weapons, didn't you?" Ryann asked anxiously.

Rick nodded. "We gave 'em a couple of guns and some ammo. It won't last long, but it helps."

Ryann gave a slight smile, obviously relieved. "Good. Everyone deserves protection." Now it was Merle's turn to give her a surprised look. "What? I still have a heart. I saved your ugly ass, didn't I?" She smirked and Merle rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Eat it up girly. Someday ole Merle's gonna be savin' you."

"Please stop speaking in the third person. It's creepy." Daryl barely hid his smile. The girl had sass, talking back to his brother like that.

As they traveled, she checked his bandage and splint, making such a fuss over him that he waved her away. "Leave me alone, sugar tits. I'm _fine._"

She sighed and looked over at Daryl. "Will you please explain to your brother that he won't be _fine _if he gets an infection?"

Daryl glowered. "I'm not your translator. He's sittin' right there, tell him yourself." She looked a bit surprised, but not all that offended.

"Finally," Glenn muttered as they pulled into camp. "Remind me to never ever go back to Atlanta."

Ryann laughed. "Ditto."

They climbed out of the van, Rick and Daryl helping Merle to his and Daryl's tent to rest. Ryann immediately went to the food that was being served, accompanied by Glenn. T-Dog took the back of tools and the bag of guns to the RV. Dale's eyes lit up when he saw the man's burden.

Ryann shoveled food into her mouth almost as if she was intent on making herself sick. Dale gleefully examined the guns and looked over his precious tools. Rick hugged his wife and son, finally back in their arms.

Ryann felt someone staring at her. When she glanced up, her eyes met Daryl's. He gazed at her over the small fire, an intense look in his eye. She stared back, trying to read his thoughts. Suddenly, someone sat next to Ryann, jarring her, and the spell was broken.

A glance to her right revealed the interrupting party to be Amy. "Hey. I'm glad y'all are back. We were worried about you." She studied Ryann's face. "Are you alright?"

Ryann turned to look back at Daryl but he was gone. She sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Is there any more fish left?"

**..**

**So, Ryann's a badass. She leads some geeks away from the others, runs up the stairs to free Daryl's brother, AND goes all Dr. Feelgood on Merle Dixon. She can be a leader when she wants to be! If you'll notice, she's changing a bit since the beginning. Hopefully y'all like what's happening so far. Since Merle is back, with his hand BTW, things are getting changed up more from here on out. If you don't like it, just shoot me a message and I'll see what I can do. Please please please R&R, I love seeing how y'all feel about this! Until next time.. :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Life as a Dixon

**Here's to another chapter! I know y'all get tired of hearing me say this, but I only own my OCs. Sadly. I wish I did own WD though. Cause then I'd write myself into the script and I'd end up with Daryl ;) mwahahaha! I hope y'all like this chapter, I rewrote it like eight times :/ and my computer has decided that it hates FanFiction so I've uploaded it at least twice. I had a couple of reviews by 'Guest' which really helped me with this mindblock I had, so thanks hun! :)**

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**Chapter 5: Life as a Dixon**

Ryann stretched, trying to relieve the ache in her sore muscles. She'd worked hard yesterday, running through the zombies, pulling herself up a ladder with just her arms, hauling Merle across the city… She should take it easy for a while.

Dale had let her sleep in the RV, curled up on one of the bench seats at the table. As grateful as she was, she knew that she couldn't handle another night sleeping like that. Ryann would have to find somewhere else to lay her head, because she refused to crawl back to Jack. She'd rather sleep outside and risk getting eaten alive.

She stepped out into the crisp morning air, taking a deep breath. Ryann wasn't stupid. They'd gotten lucky in Atlanta. One wrong step and they could've all been appetizers. She was happy to be alive and vowed she'd savor the little things.

She pulled out her new knife and sat on her favorite log, studying the blade carefully. She needed to learn how to use it. She was used to something slightly bigger. When she'd gone hunting with her dad, he'd allowed her to use his big knife and his rifle. Perhaps she should have shown an interest in bow hunting, she mused.

Someone suddenly plopped down next to her. "Hey Carl."

"Hey. What're you doing?"

She shrugged. "Thinking, mostly."

He cocked his head. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

She gave a small smile. "My dad. He used to take me hunting when I was little. I skinned my first deer when I was five." Her smile faded slowly. "That was a long time ago."

Carl looked ecstatic. "Could you teach me how to skin a deer?"

Ryann laughed, instantly pulled out of her sad mood. "You tell me where the deer are, my friend, and I'll teach you anything you wanna know!" She ruffled his hair. "We may have to settle for skinning squirrels though."

Carl looked happy anyways. "I asked Daryl to teach me but he said he didn't have time for kids."

Ryann raised a brow. "Yeah he does! He's around his brother all the time, ain't he?" Carl laughed.

Daryl's voice suddenly sounded from behind them. "My brother ain't no damn snot nosed kid."

Ryann rolled her eyes, unfazed by his attitude. "Whatever you say, Daryl. You just don't want to admit you have to play babysitter to a grown man."

He growled low in his throat in response and Carl went wide-eyed. "You sounded like a walker!" he declared. Ryann chuckled as the redneck stomped off.

She was still playing with the knife when more people began waking up and moving around. Sophia came over and sat next to Carl and the two began chattering away like monkeys. The thought made Ryann smirk.

She was staring off into the distance, absently tracing the pattern on the handle of the knife, when she was grabbed by the hair and yanked off her log. Before she had time to worry if a walker had gotten her, a Hispanic man started screaming at her.

She's never paid much attention in her Spanish class, so other than a few random words, she couldn't figure out what he was saying. The man kicked her in the ribs and stomach and hit her repeatedly in the face when she didn't answer him. She curled up in the fetal position and waited for him to finish. There was no way she could have fought him off.

Suddenly Morales was there, dragging him away. Daryl, Rick, and Shane planted themselves between Ryann and the crazed man. Dale and Amy bent down next to her, asking her if she was alright.

Ryann shakily sat up, clutching at her side. Without a doubt, her ribs were bruised along her right side. At least two felt fractured. The group gathered around warily, uncertain about what to think. Merle walked up, shouldering his way into the circle to see what the commotion was about.

Morales was able to ask the man what happened and get a clipped response. "He says you took something that belonged to him. You snuck into his tent the other night and stole his grandfather's knife. Is this true?"

Ryann frowned and held up the knife Nikole had given her. "This?"

The man tried to charge at her, but he was restrained. "Yes," Morales responded, his eyes guarded and wary. "That's the knife he said you stole. Did you?"

"No! Of course not!" Ryann was hurt anyone would think so little of her.

"Then how'd you get it?" Shane demanded.

"Nikole gave it to me. She said she borrowed it from Morales!" Her eyes watered at the accusation on the faces of everyone around her. She searched for at least one supportive expression.

Nikole gazed at her with a smug look before donning an innocent expression and turning to Morales. "I don't know what she's talking about. I've never spoken to you before." She gave a dramatic sigh. "Before all this apocalypse stuff, Ryann had a problem with stealing. She was sent to juvy a couple of times for it."

Ryann gaped at her. "What? That's absurd!"

Jack was suddenly standing behind Nikole, sadly shaking his head. "She was seeing a psychiatrist for her problems. Ryann is a compulsive liar, and a collector of anything she can steal. I was afraid this might happen, but I was hoping the end of the world had been a reality check for her."

Ryann floundered like a fish out of water, dumbfounded. Her family had never betrayed her like this. They were throwing her to the wolves and ensuring that she wouldn't have any allies. After today, she'd be completely alone.

Rick turned and looked down at her. "Ryann? Is any of this true?" He looked like he so badly wanted to believe her.

Tears finally escaped her eyes. "No! I've never gotten in trouble for anything! I would never steal something as important as this." She struggled to stand up, limped over to the Hispanic man, and handed him the knife. He snatched it away from her.

She gazed around at the people she had already come to know as her friends. Not one of them looked like they believed her. One arm wrapped tightly around her middle, Ryann turned and limped away, towards the quarry. Everyone watched her go as if she would snatch their belongings the second they took their eyes off of her.

Ryann sat on her log by the water, deep in thought. Maybe she shouldn't go back. It's not like they believed her anyways. She could strike out on her own, search for a different group. She could finally escape the suffocating clutches of her family.

"You seemed surprised."

"Nikole, go away. I can't even look at you right now."

Her stepsister gave a gleeful laugh and moved closer. She seemed to consider sitting on the log as well, but her nose wrinkled and she decided to stay standing. "Did you really think I had turned over a new leaf? That I _cared _for you?"

Ryann's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Why do you hate me? What did I ever _do_?"

"What did you do?" Nikole hissed. "My father took one look at your mother and just _had _to have her. And that would have been fine if we hadn't gotten stuck with you! The perfect daughter, who could do no wrong in her mother's eyes. My father had to take your side when we were younger to please _her, _the stupid whore he gave a ring to."

Ryann began shaking with the burning need to destroy her stepsister. She could envision herself beating the girl senseless. She could almost feel her stepsister's throat beneath her fingertips. She shook her head to clear the thoughts. Ryann had never resorted to such violence. She wouldn't start now.

"I was glad when she died. My father stopped having to pretend for her and could treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You're worthless!"

Ryann shook her head because she _knew _that wasn't true. "No I'm not. I helped save Merle yesterday. I can put up my own tent. I'm a good shot, with both handguns and rifles. I know how to skin a deer. I can ride a horse." Her voice had steadily gotten louder until she was almost shouting, and she leaped to her feet to get in Nikole's face. "I'm brave when I'm surrounded by walkers. I was the star of our track team. I can climb any tree. I know how to give at least minimal medical care. I'm an easy person to talk to!"

She pointed a finger at Nikole's chest. "_You're _the one who's worthless! You refuse to help out around camp. You never want to thank anyone for what they've done. You expect food from your personal chef when these people have to literally hunt for their next meal. I went to Atlanta to help a complete stranger, and what did you do? You gave me a stolen knife to set me up and cause drama. You're a bitch, Nikole, and you've always been a spoiled brat. If I ever end up like you, I pray somebody shoots me in the head and puts me out of my misery!"

Ryann knew she had been rambling, ranting about the first things that popped into her mind. Her heart was pounding and she was shaking from anger and the adrenaline rush she'd received. Nikole had actually taken a few steps back, uncertain about Ryann's new attitude and shocked by what she'd said.

They heard a couple twigs breaking and turned to see Merle walking towards them. "Well now, ain't this a lovely sight?" he murmured. Disgust rolled off of Nikole in waves and she edged away as he approached. He merely chuckled.

"Hey Merle," Ryann said softly, her adrenaline evaporating as quickly as it had come. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if I could request your services, sugar tits."

Ryann glared. "I'm not a thief, dammit!"

He held up his hands in surrender. "Whoa! Easy! Not those services." He gestured towards his bandaged wrist. "It's hurtin' pretty bad and I wondered if you could take a look at it for ole Merle." He flashed her a charming smile and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Sure. But I'll need the first aid kit."

He nodded and stood to the side to let her pass. "I got the supplies in my tent."

They left the quarry and walked in silence. Merle pointed out his and Daryl's tent and Ryann tried to ignore the stares as she headed that way. "Do you think they all believe I did it?" she whispered softly.

"Yeah, probably," he answered without hesitation.

She sighed. "You're supposed to say no and convince me that things will go back to normal soon."

He gave a humorless laugh. "Lemme tell you somethin' right now, sugar tits. I don't sugarcoat anything. I tell it like it is."

Ryann figured that it was better than how the others were treating her. At least Merle would be honest if he said he believed her or not. Everyone else avoided her and whispered under their breaths.

"Do _you _think I did it?" She glanced over to see his thoughtful expression.

"No."

With that one uttered word, Ryann had found her new ally. They made it to his tent and she went in first, a little relieved Daryl wasn't there. She didn't know if he believed her or not, and she couldn't handle being in close proximity with accusing stares right now.

Merle immediately went to the cot and laid down, his good arm beneath his head and propping it up. Ryann looked around uncertainly, not sure what to do. She finally sat on the very edge of the cot and pulled his wrist closer.

He tensed a couple of times as she removed the bandages, but he didn't pull away. He studied her face as she worked.

"You shouldn't take it," he finally blurted.

She pretended she didn't know what he was talking about. "Take what?"

"Family is sacred. Blood comes before anythin' else. And the way they treat you…" He shook his head. "That ain't family."

Ryann frowned and continued working, operating on autopilot. "It's all I know," she whispered.

"Daryl and I are brothers. No matter what, it's us against the world."

"I noticed."

He studied her a bit longer. "You slept in the RV last night."

"So?"

"You don't got a tent?"

She bit her lip. It had scabbed over so it didn't break open when her teeth touched it, but it still stung. She sighed. "Jack and I fought before I left for Atlanta." She glanced at him, realizing he hadn't met Jack. "He's my stepfather. And now with Nikole setting me up… I'd rather sleep in the dirt than go back to their tent."

He was quiet for a few minutes and Ryann savored the silence, even if she could feel his eyes studying her intently. Just as she finished wrapping his wrist, the flap flew back and Daryl stepped into the tent. He froze when he saw her.

"I was just taking care of Merle's wrist," she muttered, flustered at his shocked expression. She gathered the dirty bandages quickly.

Merle sat up and grabbed her wrist when she went to leave. "Hold on there, girly." She waited, shifting her weight. "Daryl, go grab another sleeping bag."

Daryl frowned. "Why? We got two already."

"We need three. Ryann, you ain't going back to your family, and you ain't gonna sleep in the dirt. You're a Dixon from now on, ya hear?"

Ryann and Daryl both gaped at him. This was so out of character for Merle that Daryl thought his brother had finally snapped and gone crazy. Ryann wasn't sure what to think, but she did know that Merle didn't make this offer lightly. He was really going out on a limb for her.

"Look, Merle, I appreciate it. I really do. But I couldn't possibly impose…"

"Shut up." Ryann's mouth snapped closed. "Daryl and I ain't gonna let anyone hurt ya anymore. Are we, little brother?"

Daryl studied his brother for a while, like he was trying to determine if he was serious or if he had an ulterior motive. When he could see nothing in Merle's eyes that screamed deception, Daryl gave a determined nod.

Her gaze flew back and forth between them. "Daryl. Merle. Seriously, I'm okay with staying in the RV. Or crashing out in one of the vehicles. It's really not that big of a deal, I don't mind."

Daryl turned and left the tent. Merle laid back on the cot, grinning to himself. "You'll learn that we Dixons don't take orders from no girl. Might as well get used to it darlin!"

She looked around the tent. It had more than enough room for another person, but how long would it take for these living arrangements to get awkward? "I hope you know what you're doing Dixon." He smirked.

Daryl came back moments later with a sleeping bag. "Take that corner," he gestured. "Might wanna get yer stuff from the RV."

"Thank you Daryl." He grunted in response. She studied the men in front of her. They were so unlike anyone else she'd ever met. The entire group seemed to dislike them. They were more than rough around the edges. Ryann was sure they got a kick out of harassing the people around them. Well, Merle did. She wasn't so sure about Daryl.

But they were still good guys. They saw how her family treated her and decided to take her in. Like a lost puppy out on the streets. They opened their home- er, tent- to her and decided to protect her. She felt her heart warm. The group may not see the great guys that they were, but Ryann refused to overlook it anymore.

She was a Dixon now, she thought with a smile. The group may not trust her anymore, but that was okay. They didn't trust Merle or Daryl either. She had at least two people who wouldn't shun her, so she knew things could be worse. And she'd traded two complete assholes for- well, two more assholes. But at least these assholes cared enough to protect her.

Her life as a Dixon had just begun.

**..**

**Aha! So now we know why Nikole was being so nice... what a bitch! At least now Ryann has another family :D So I have an important question for y'all... Do you guys like it when I respond to your reviews? I think it makes it more personable and lets you know exactly how much I care about what you think. Even if it's a "good job, update soon." I sit by and wait for your reviews lol just let me know where you stand on this topic :) R&R peoples! I love you all!**


	6. Chapter 6: Chaos at Camp

**I definitely had some problems with this chapter. I'm glad I finally got it all out of my head! haha I hope you like it, I know it doesn't fit in with the norm for some of these characters, but I think it will all be okay. I want to thank everyone who's followed or favorited my story and everyone who's reviewed! It makes me feel great knowing there are people out there who enjoy the way my mind works. I'm sure you'll be surprised at where I can go with it lol I've been asked what all my plans are for this story and I'm not all that sure. I know a few things I want to do but for the most part, I'm just going with the flow. I guess time will tell, hm? Hope ya like the new chapter!**

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**Chapter 6: Chaos at Camp**

Life as a Dixon wasn't so bad after all. The camp gave her the same wide berth they usually gave to the Dixon brothers. Oddly enough, it made Ryann feel closer to Merle and Daryl. She realized that Daryl did most of the hunting for the group, utilizing his skills with the crossbow.

Merle didn't add much to the prosperity of the camp, especially with one of his hands on hiatus. Before the trip to Atlanta, he would help Daryl skin his kills. But other than that, Merle Dixon didn't contribute to society.

Ryann contributed by taking care of her new family. She washed all of their clothes, as well as hers, instead of adding them to the group's pile. She soon realized that the rednecks cut the sleeves off of almost every shirt they owned.

Two days after she was adopted as a Dixon, she was busying herself by patching up one of Daryl's shirts. Daryl was down at the quarry, washing his arrows. He told them he was going hunting later, so he had decided to clean his weapons as best he could.

Merle was off God knows where. Ryann noticed that he disappeared a lot, but she wasn't quite sure why. He always seemed different when he came back. It was almost like he lost his mind every time he ran off on his own. She and Daryl usually kept their heads down when he got into one of his moods.

The tent flap flew back. "Sugar tits!"

She rolled her eyes. "Hey Merle."

"What, no hug?"

Ryann laughed. "Are you kidding? When was the last time you bathed? You smell worse than a walker!"

He shrugged. "Eh, your loss." He flopped onto the cot. "So tell me somethin'."

He didn't elaborate and Ryann frowned. "Um, okay. What should I tell you?"

"Is there anythin' you can't do? I've seen you go all doctor on me. Here and in Atlanta." He crossed his ankles and put one hand behind his head. "You also went toe to toe with Miss Bitch. Now, you're sewin'. So, what? You like Wonder Woman or somethin'?"

"I wish I could be Wonder Woman," she laughed. "But there are lots of things I can't do. I can't shoot with a bow. I'm not good at killing walkers with my silent weapons. If I got separated from the group and there wasn't a town nearby that I could raid, I'd be screwed." She contemplated for a moment and then added, "I can't play the piano."

He snorted. "Whatcha wanna play the piano for?"

She gave him a patient smile. "The piano is something my mother used to play. I remember her singing and playing this beautiful music. I wanted to learn so I could do something she enjoyed."

He turned to look at her. "When did she die?"

"When I was eight. My father passed away three years before that. Since then, it's just been me,  
Nikole, and Jack." She studied him. "What happened to your parents?"

He stiffened. "We don't talk about them," he growled between clenched teeth.

Ryann frowned, confused. They made it seem like family was everything to them. Merle always looked out for Daryl, as if he truly needed his brother to protect him. That's when it dawned on her. Merle protected her a lot like he protected his little brother. Maybe Daryl had suffered some of the same abuse she did.

"Okay," she murmured softly to soothe him. "I won't ask again." His shoulders relaxed.

She continued to work, using the needle and thread from an old travel-sized sewing kit. The thread may not match the color of Daryl's shirt, but she seriously doubted that he'd notice or care. Merle was quiet and Ryann assumed he had fallen asleep. She didn't look up to check.

His voice startled her out of her concentrated state. She'd only been focused on the task at hand, her mind blank. "You should learn how to protect yerself."

"I can shoot."

Merle shook his head. "No, I mean if you ever got separated from us, you should know how to fend for yerself. Survive in the woods. Hunt, track, and find shelter, that kinda thing."

"My dad taught me how to hunt. Of course, we used a rifle. I think it would be smart to learn how to hunt with something else."

"You know how to hunt, eh? Can you field dress your kills?"

She grinned proudly. "Skinned my first deer when I was five."

He chuckled. "Good to know you ain't worthless."

Daryl came into the tent then. "Whatcha smilin' about?" he asked them.

Merle answered first. "We was just talkin' about you takin' sugar tits here on your hunt."

Daryl gaped and Ryann frowned. They both spoke at the same time.

"No we weren't."

"No way in hell."

Ryann shot him a frown before turning her attention back to the elder Dixon. "Daryl shouldn't have to drag me along anywhere. He's on his hunts to bring us food. He doesn't need anyone tagging along, trying to learn the basics of hunting with a bow, which I'm assuming are a lot different than hunting with a rifle."

Daryl obviously agreed. "I don't take no one with me when I hunt, you know that. It's too much trouble."

Merle sat up. "Look at it this way. You take Ryann on your hunt, or I'll kick both yer asses." They argued with him a bit more, but in the end, Merle stood firm. "We can't have her runnin' around with her head up her ass. Dixons know how to get shit done. I ain't gonna protect her every second of every damn day, are you?"

Daryl reluctantly led Ryann from camp, armed with her combat boots and Merle's hunting knife. She fell in love with the blade instantly and was eager to find one for herself. She hated the fact that Merle was practically defenseless because she hadn't been smart enough to grab a weapon of her own when they were in Atlanta.

Daryl was almost silent as he walked, even though he was traveling through dead leaves and twigs. Ryann was a bit louder because she was out of practice. She couldn't remember the last time she went hunting.

They walked without talking for what Ryann assumed was at least a mile. When Daryl suddenly stopped and raised his bow, Ryann froze, terrified that he'd seen a walker. Then with a _twang, _he shot a squirrel.

"Wow," she murmured as he collected his kill. "You're pretty impressive."

He glanced at her and grunted. Ryann wasn't sure if it was in agreement or thanks. "Here." He handed her the squirrel and a bit of thin rope. "You carry the kills."

She fumbled a bit, but eventually she was able to attach the squirrel to the rope. He bent down, braced the crossbow, and pulled it back to reload the next arrow. Ryann would never admit it, but she noticed the muscles in his arms bulging as he moved and worked. She'd never been so thankful for sleeveless shirts in all her life.

They continued on and Ryann found her mind wandering. Daryl was definitely on the attractive side, even if he was filthy and constantly wore a scowl. She'd thought Nikole and Jack had pretty blue eyes, but they couldn't compare to Daryl's. His were mesmerizing and mysterious, full of secrets and intelligence that she knew he kept tamed.

"What's it like having Merle as a brother?" she blurted.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, obviously annoyed that she was talking. For a while, he didn't answer just to tick her off. "He's my brother. What do you want me to say?"

"Well, he seems really protective. But he's not always the nicest guy around, even to you."

He shrugged. "He makes me tough. I don't wanna be weak. Merle makes me stronger."

She absorbed that and he hoped that she was done with her questions and rambling. He wasn't so lucky. "Who taught you to hunt?"

He sighed. "Merle, when he was home."

"He was away often?"

"Spent time in jail. Was always off runnin' off, gettin' into trouble."

She studied him. "You care for him, a lot."

He scowled. "I told you, he's my brother! Now shut up, you're scarin' everythin' away. We'll never get more than that squirrel you're draggin' around."

She was blessedly quiet for a while, and he was able to get a few more squirrels and a rabbit. When she spoke again, her voice was so soft he barely heard it. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"I know y'all didn't have to take me in. My problems with Nikole and Jack are just that- _mine_. Everyone else seemed fine with me sleeping outside. And to top it all off, Merle said he believes me." She paused, wondering once again what Daryl thought. "You've both been too kind. And I know Merle practically forced you, but you let me come with you on this hunting trip when you really have no obligation to me. So thank you."

He looked taken aback. "Welcome," he murmured gruffly. "And you're wrong. You're family now. Merle was right. Ya gotta learn how to cover your own ass." He started to walk off again but he paused. "I believe ya too, ya know."

Ryann smiled, pleased. She knew that the Dixon brothers didn't have to believe her. Merle was in Atlanta at the time, and Daryl was too busy pacing the back of the van to notice Nikole giving the knife to Ryann. Nobody had seen what happened, but they chose to take her word over Nikole's and Jack's. She decided to stay quiet for the remainder of the hunt, her own way of thanking Daryl.

They were on their way back to camp when Daryl suddenly held a hand up to stop her. She froze instantly, trusting his judgment. Then she realized why he had stopped. The smell of rotted flesh reached her nose and she knew that a walker was close by.

She broke into a cold sweat, glancing around and listening to every sound around her. She thought she heard a low groan from her right and elbowed Daryl, nodding in that direction. He nodded and raised his crossbow, peering through the trees.

Ryann was so focused on that direction that she didn't notice the movement to her left. A walker suddenly grabbed her and tackled her to the ground. "Daryl!" she screamed as she tried to wriggle away.

He turned to come to her aid, raising the bow, but a second walker grabbed him. Ryann lost track of where he went as she battled with her own zombie.

It snapped at her, its fingers curled into claws as it tried to grab her and pull her closer. She used every bit of strength in her arms to keep it inches away from her skin. Blood dripped onto her neck and chest and she gagged. Its skin felt disgusting beneath her fingertips and it smelled so revolting she could taste bile at the back of her throat.

As she tried to push it away, Ryann bucked beneath it, hoping to throw it off. She could feel the knife Merle had given her digging into her hip. If she could just get away from it for a second, she knew she'd be able to get the blade free of its sheath.

"Ryann!" she heard Daryl shout. All of a sudden, the walker was gone. She didn't even hesitate as she scrambled away and reached for the knife. Now Daryl was rolling around in the dirt with the walker, trying to gain the leverage he needed to kill it. The walker that had attacked him was sprawled on the ground a few feet away, an arrow stuck through its eye.

The walker was above Daryl, leaning down and snapping at his throat. Daryl was keeping it away from his skin but she could tell the walker was steadily getting closer. "Help," he gritted out.

She ran forward and, without a second thought, buried the knife deep into its head. It froze and then slumped in Daryl's arms. Ryann helped him push the walker off and he jumped to his feet. "Filthy bastards," he muttered.

He grabbed his bow and arrow and turned to Ryann. She was staring at the walker in shock. He frowned and approached her cautiously, like she was a feral cat.

"Hey," he murmured. "Ryann. Look at me girl. Focus." Her eyes turned to his, distant and unfocused. "It's alright now. You're safe. They're dead."

"I-I…" she stammered, her voice weak. "It almost got me…" She took in a shaky breath. "It almost got _you… _Oh God, it was so close. I feel sick."

Daryl realized she'd never had such a close encounter. He'd seen her sprint through a pack of walkers, her bleeding lip and taunts drawing them closer to her. But out in the woods, when she couldn't hide among the buildings and the walker had actually touched her, her nerves were shaken.

"Breathe. You never killed one, have you?"

She gasped for air, bending at the waist and resting her hands on her knees. "Not up close, not like that. Daryl." Her eyes squeezed shut for a second before she threw herself at him, her arms wrapped around him. "Please just hold me for a minute. Please."

She knew it was a stretch. Daryl wasn't affectionate with anyone. At the moment, he was frozen, his arms hovering over her, unsure. But Ryann desperately needed a hug. She was on the verge of passing out, and she was absolutely terrified. Her body broke down in tremors.

He hesitantly let his arms fall until he was holding her. She buried her head into his chest, ignoring the fact that his shirt was filthy. She blinked back tears and just savored this rare moment of gentleness from Daryl.

His hand lifted, hesitated, and then brushed a bit of hair away from her face. "I never-" He stopped and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I don't know how to do this."

She released a contented sigh, feeling her body starting to calm down. "You're doing it right. Just don't let go yet."

He held her for an immeasurable amount of time, allowing her to draw strength from his warm body. He knew what it was like to be as shaken as she was. As uncomfortable as he was, he allowed her to snuggle against his chest. She was so close that he could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

Finally, Ryann loosened her hold and pulled away. "Thank you. I really needed a hug." She gave him a wobbly smile.

He shifted his weight and held his bow in a white-knuckled grip. "Yeah, sure." He looked everywhere but at her. "We should get back. Tell the others that walkers are wanderin' about."

She nodded. "You're right. Lead the way."

They made their way back to camp, cautious of their surroundings but absorbed by their own racing thoughts. Daryl had never let anyone in that close before. He never held a woman or brushed one's hair back or had a woman turn to him for comfort. He was just too harsh and unapproachable. He didn't know how to act around a girl. The few times he'd had sex, it was meaningless. Well, to him it was. To them, it was a paycheck.

Ryann couldn't believe she'd let herself get all weak in front of Daryl. Furthermore, she couldn't believe she'd gone all weak at the knees when he pushed her hair back behind her ear. Inside, she was still trembling over that one. She knew he'd been out of his element and yet she'd pushed him anyways. She mentally kicked herself. She didn't want to alienate him now.

They glanced at each other but always looked away before the other one noticed. Ryann knew it was a bad idea to move into their tent. How would she ever cope now, having to sleep next to Daryl while knowing that she'd all but shoved him away by pulling him close? Daryl had panicked. She'd seen it in his eyes. She sighed softly. Maybe life as a Dixon wasn't so easy after all.

As they got closer, they could hear some commotion going on. They frowned and shot confused glances to each other. Daryl raised his crossbow as they moved forward. Suddenly, gunshots rang out and they could hear screams.

They froze in shock and panic. The camp was under attack. Adrenaline pounded through their veins as they sprinted ahead, crashing through the underbrush in their urgency. When they broke through the trees and saw what was going on, they slid to a halt.

Ryann absorbed everything in just a few seconds. The camp had been swarmed by a group of walkers. Amy was lying on the ground, covered in blood. Andrea was crouched over her, crying and screaming. Shane and Rick were keeping Lori, Carl, Carol, and Sophia between them. Shane was shouting that they needed to get to the RV and Rick was screaming for his friends to help. Glenn, Dale, and Merle were all holding guns, shooting at the walkers around them. Jim, Morales, and T-Dog were using bats and pipes to pick off the geeks as best as they could. Others in the group were running around trying to dodge the undead without tripping over their friends who hadn't been fortunate enough to get away.

Ryann and Daryl had only been gone for a few hours. But in that short amount of time, all hell had broken loose.

**..**

**And there's another chapter from me, your humble writer. Don't be too harsh now :P Like I said, I struggled with this chapter, but I feel it was a necessary step to complete. Please R&R and let me know your thoughts. You like the little cliffhanger? :) Maybe some of you will finally get your wish after all. Then again, perhaps not. I love everyone who's continued to stick to this story! I promise I'll do my best to have the next chapter up soon**


	7. Chapter 7: A Kiss in the Cab

**I only own OCs! Sorry it took a bit longer than I promised. My computer has decided to try and erase everything and disconnect from the internet everytime I try to upload. I swear, I am buying a new computer as soon as I get more money. Anywhoo, some of you have left reviews and, for one reason or another, I wasn't able to PM you and respond. This is my shout out to all those lovely folks. Thank you! Please R&R and let me know how I'm doing!**

**..**

**Chapter 7: A Kiss in the Cab**

Pandemonium had broken out in the camp while they were gone. Walkers stumbled all over the place, their moans and shrieks of hunger causing chills to roll across Ryann's skin. The living screamed in pain and fear as they fled the undead while some unfortunates fell to their advances.

"Come on!" Daryl shouted as he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. They dodged the various walkers as they rushed towards Merle and the others.

"'Bout time you showed up, Darylina," he growled. "You too, sugar tits. Things was just gettin' interestin' 'round here." He shot another walker in the head as it drew closer.

Ryann stared all around with wide eyes. "What happened?"

"Walkers!" Rick hissed. "They just swarmed the camp. Amy was the first to go down."

Ryann's gaze swung to Amy, lying on the ground. She was struggling to pull air into her lungs, and it was easy to see that she was losing too much blood. Ryann's eyes squeezed shut against the image and she turned away. She'd always liked Amy. The girl was so nice.

She looked around at the group she was with, searching for the faces of her family. Correction: _former _family. "Where are Nikole and Jack?" she gasped out.

Daryl glanced over at her with confusion swirling in his eyes before setting his sights on an approaching walker and pulling the trigger to his shotgun. Merle barked out a humorless laugh. "Pro'bly walker chow by now."

She craned her neck, searching for the faces she grew up with. "Nikole! Jack!" she screamed.

"Ryann!" She heard Nikole over the gunshots and random screams. It had sounded like she was by her tent. "Help!"

Ryann gripped Merle's knife tightly in her hand and braced herself for what she was about to do. She took a deep breath, slowly let it out, and-

"No!" Daryl shouted, grabbing her arm. "Don't do it!"

"I have to! I can't let them die!"

Daryl and Merle glanced at each other, seemed to have a silent conversation, and nodded. "Then let's go," Merle said determinedly.

She was visibly torn. Nikole and Jack wouldn't help Ryann if she was drowning in the desert and they had a glass of water. She wasn't quite sure why she was about to risk her own neck for them- again. But that was her decision. She didn't want the Dixons jumping into the middle of it, simply because they wanted to protect Ryann. Her inner turmoil was cut short when she heard Nikole scream again.

Once again, they dodged walkers as they rushed towards the tents, leaping over the corpses that littered the ground. Once they got to the tent Ryann had formerly shared with her stepsister and stepfather, Ryann's heart leapt into her throat. The tent was zipped up, but a couple of walkers were doing their best to rip through the material. Nikole's screams poured from her self-made prison.

Merle whistled, drawing the walkers' attention, and Daryl pushed Ryann back behind him. "Watch our backs," he muttered.

Ryann anxiously did as she was told, making sure no walkers would creep up on the Dixons. In a matter of seconds, the two walkers before them were lying on the ground with holes in their heads.

She rushed forward and unzipped the tent, causing Nikole to scream again and scramble away. "Come on!" she shouted. "Hurry!"

If Ryann had been a bit more mean-spirited, she would have laughed at Nikole's appearance. The girl who would have stayed inside all day if her hair was full of static or her eyebrows didn't match up now looked like hell. Her face was smudged with dirt and grime, her hair was in wild disarray, her clothes were wrinkled and torn, and her freaked out expression made her lose any attractive points she still had.

However, since Ryann was the better person, she smirked internally and kept her expression neutral as she pulled Nikole from the tent. "Were you bit or scratched?" she demanded.

Nikole shook her head, clearly in shock.

"Where is Jack?"

After a second, Nikole lifted a hand and pointed toward the trees. When they looked, all of their jaws went slack. Jack was up in a tree, surrounded by no less than ten walkers. His feet were mere inches from their fingers.

Ryann turned to the brothers. "What do we do?"

Daryl took out as many as he could with the arrows he had. Keeping his distance so he didn't draw their attention and get swarmed, Merle shot them until his handgun was all used up. Then Daryl rushed forward and took out the remaining two, using his shotgun as a bat.

Once Jack joined them, the shooting around camp had stopped. Bodies littered the ground, both walker and human alike. The smell of death covered the camp, making it hard to breathe. Blood was everywhere.

Ryann could hear crying and turned to look. Andrea was crouched over Amy, tears falling freely as her heartbroken cries filled the air. Amy was gone.

"I remember my dream now," Jim said. They all looked at him, waiting for his next words. It was like their lives depended on his uttered words, and time couldn't move forward until he said them. "Why I dug the holes." Graves. Jim had been digging graves earlier that day.

None of them slept that night. Most of the work went into separating the bodies. Walkers went into a burn pile while the people they had lost were to be buried. Shane and Rick had been up on the ridge where Jim had been, digging more graves for the fallen.

Daryl was going around with a pick ax, putting holes in the heads of everyone who had died so they wouldn't turn. Ryann was helping Merle collect every weapon they could find. Nikole was in the RV, still in shock. Ryann was walking past some of the group when she heard Rick say, "She still won't move."

Ryann turned and saw Andrea still in the same spot she'd been all night, ever since Amy got bitten and fell to the ground. Her heart broke for the woman. Amy was a good friend to her. She didn't deserve this. None of them did.

"We need to deal with it. Same as the others," Shane said.

Rick went to talk to Andrea and Ryann turned to Shane. "Seriously? Why can't you people just leave her be? She's hurt. She lost her sister, her only family left. She needs time to mourn and come to terms with what happened. When she's ready, she'll handle it." She left them and stalked off, seeing Rick backing away from an armed Andrea. _You go girl_, Ryann thought.

Daryl looked up as Ryann started to walk by. "Whoa, hey. Girly. Slow it down a second, will ya?"

She stopped and let out a sigh. "Yeah?"

He frowned. "What's got you all riled up?"

She dragged a hand through her hair irritably. "They want to jump in there and 'take care' of Amy. As in shoot her, burn her, throw her down the hill."

Daryl shrugged. "They should."

Ryann frowned at him. "You really think that?"

He nodded. "Can't let the girl hamstring us in our sleep." He brought the ax down on another head. "It's the right thing to do."

"No, it's not." He gave her a surprised look and she continued. "It's not right for _us _to go in and kill her little sister." When he tried to mention that she was already dead, Ryann held up a hand. "You know what I mean. Put her down. It's not our responsibility."

Now he was frowning. "Whose is it?"

"Andrea's. If- God forbid- something happened to Jack or Nikole, it would be _my _responsibility to take care of it. I grew up with them. Whether I like it or not, they're my family. Until they're dead, they always will be. If they died, I would need to be the one who handled it."

His expression was bewildered. "Why?"

She shrugged. "It's the only way I'd have closure." She paused. "If something happens to me, you or Merle needs to handle it."

He did not look pleased to be discussing the possibility of Ryann dying. "Why us?"

She gave him a small smile. "Y'all are my family now. And you both care about me more than people I've known for fifteen years. I'd want it to be you."

He swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. Deep in thought, he raised his hand and started furiously chewing on a thumbnail. She gently pushed his hand down and he shot her a surprised expression. "Bad habit," she explained. He cleared his throat and moved away to take care of more of the dead.

Ryann found herself walking with Shane later, fixing up the trip wires to alert them of any more walkers. Dale was at the other side of camp, doing the same thing as them.

"So you really think Andrea will take care of Amy?" Shane asked.

Ryann nodded. "I'd want to take down Nikole or Jack in her situation. It's the only way I'd be able to come to terms with it."

Shane sighed. "It's a bad idea. Andrea won't be able to pull the trigger. She's in shock. We need to take care of it."

Ryann touched his arm and he paused to look at her. "Just let her say goodbye."

They walked in silence for a bit until they heard rustling in the underbrush ahead. Shane pulled out his gun and Ryann armed herself with Merle's knife. They crept forward, dreading what they would see.

Merle stumbled forward between two trees, pulling up to a stop when he saw them.

"Jesus, Merle," Ryann hissed. "You scared the shit out of me!"

Merle grinned. "Just having a bit of fun!"

His words and tone sounded different and Ryann peered at him. "Are you- are you _high?"_

Shane scoffed. "You really need to give that up. Or overdose."

Ryann slapped him in the arm. "Not funny. Merle, where in the _hell _did you get drugs?" She paused as something suddenly occurred to her. "Is this what you're doing every time you run off?"

He smirked stupidly. "You bet your skinny little ass!"

Shane spun around and stalked off. "Your problem!" he shouted to Ryann.

She gritted her teeth. It took some coaxing, but she was able to guide Merle back to the tent. "I can't believe you, Merle," she hissed as she started checking his pulse and the dilation of his eyes. "We're sitting on our asses at the end of the whole damn world as we know it, and you're running around getting high. What if a zombie had attacked you while you were too stoned to do shit?"

That was the most cussing she'd done around them in any one breath and it got Merle's attention. "Whoa, sugar tits. Ya got a mouth on ya after all!"

She wanted to punch him. "Does Daryl know?" Merle shrugged. Ryann gave him some water and left the tent before she did anything she'd regret. Like strangle the bastard.

When she stepped out of the tent, her attention was immediately drawn to Jacqui and Jim. They were bent over one of the walkers that Daryl and Merle had killed last night, whispering. The look on Jacqui's face alerted Ryann to the fact that something was wrong.

"A walker got him!" she shouted, backing away quickly. "A walker bit Jim!"

The rest of the camp circled him and he picked up a shovel. He didn't look like he wanted to put any fight behind it. Daryl pulled Ryann back so she was behind him. "Show it to us!" he yelled.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Jim muttered, not even sounding like he had convinced himself.

Ryann pulled from Daryl's grasp and cautiously moved forward. "Jim," she murmured as soothingly as possible. She held her hands up to show him she didn't want to hurt him. "Jim, just let us see it. We can help you, but you have to trust us."

His eyes pleaded with hers. "I'm okay," he croaked out.

She continued to move forward. "I know you are. I just want to see it, okay? I'm sure it hurts. We can make it stop hurting. I have medicine in the tent, alright? You just gotta let me see."

He hesitated, but finally lowered the shovel. Ryann stepped forward and gently pulled his shirt up. When she uncovered the bite, she heard gasps and groans from the entire group. Daryl cursed quietly under his breath.

There was a huge debate about what should happen next. Some, like Shane and Daryl, wanted to kill him right there. They didn't want to deal with any walkers or "them-to-be." Rick and Ryann stood firmly on the opposing side.

"I will _not_ be part of a group that kills the living, not unless our lives are in danger," Ryann heatedly responded to Shane's proposal. "You put a bullet in that man's brain-" she glanced at Daryl, "_or _a pick ax- and you'll never see me again."

Rick suggested going to the CDC. There'd been talk of a cure, and the CDC was the best choice if they wanted to save Jim. Shane voted for Fort Benning, which was 100 miles in the opposite direction. In the end, they decided to go to the CDC.

Merle had finally come down off his high and was helping Ryann and Daryl pack. "I agree with Darylina. Jimbo is a lost cause."

Ryann glared over at him. "I actually value human life, Dixon. I don't think we should kill a man if there is the slim possibility of saving him."

Merle's brow furrowed. "Would ya wanna suffer through that, if you were him?"

Ryann huffed. "That's different. I don't want to be allowed to live five minutes after I get bitten. A walker gets me, put me down. If Jim decides he wants to die, let him. But until then, we help."

She stormed from the tent, her bag and supplies at hand. Daryl had told her to throw her stuff in his truck. She debated going to the RV, but she knew that there was the possibility of Jim turning on the drive. As much as she wanted to help him, she wouldn't serve as a hors d'oeuvre for the undead.

After she stored her things, she went to see Andrea. Amy hadn't turned yet, and Andrea was still stroking her hair.

She crouched down. "Hey." Andrea didn't respond. "I'm really sorry. Amy was such a good person. She was my first friend here. My first friend in a long time." Ryann stared at her hands in her lap. "I know most people think that I stole that knife, but I know Amy didn't. And I never thanked her for that."

She barely saw Andrea dip her head in a small nod. Andrea still wasn't ready to talk. Ryann respected that. When her parents died, she would close up for months. It was just her way of coping. She gently patted Andrea's shoulder and stood up. She passed Dale as she walked off and she nodded to him. He touched her shoulder as he walked towards Andrea.

Ryann headed towards Glenn to help him finish moving the bodies. Daryl was a little ways off with his pick ax and Ryann saw Carol walking up to him. She worked without thinking. She shut her mind off, eager for a break from her racing thoughts. A pair of flats came into view and she froze, her arms around the walker's torso.

"Who are we riding with?" Nikole demanded to know.

Ryann gritted her teeth and began to drag the body. "Go wherever you want. Jump off a bridge for all I care."

Nikole's jaw dropped in shock. "Excuse me?"

Ryann was in her face in seconds. "Look, Nikole. It's like this. You are weak and defenseless in this world. Manicures and pom-poms won't get you anywhere in a world infested by walkers. When your life was in danger, I jumped in to rescue you. Me, Daryl, and Merle. Jack didn't try to save you. Neither did your precious cell phone, which you're _always _complaining about. But just because I saved you doesn't mean I like you. No, I'd rather you and your father were dead. It'd save me a lot of headaches. So let's get one thing straight. If you're about to die, I'll help, simply because I'm a nice person. Otherwise, leave me the hell alone."

Ryann felt good right then, like a hundred pounds had been thrown from her shoulders. She even smiled as she walked away, catching Daryl's attention.

"What're you so happy about?"

She playfully nudged him with her shoulder, making his eyes widen in surprise. She chuckled. "I'm just relieved. Thank you."

He looked confused and still a bit unsettled by her attitude. "Fer what?" he mumbled.

She grinned. "I never would have been able to stand up to either of them if you and your brother hadn't taken me in like a lost puppy."

Daryl's eyes flew to Nikole's shocked expression and he smirked. "Good for you. You told off your jackass step dad yet?"

Her smile faltered. "No…"

They suddenly realized that everyone had gotten tense. They looked around, seeing Andrea holding her gun as Amy's regenerated corpse tried to reach for her former sister's flesh. "I love you," Andrea whispered before she pulled the trigger. Just like that, Ryann's attitude hit rock bottom.

Ryann rode to the CDC, wedged in between the Dixon brothers. They had just dropped off Jim after he said he didn't want to fight anymore. He was leaned up against a tree, looking up at the sky and smiling at the breeze when they drove off. Ryann sighed and rubbed her forehead. She knew Rick was probably taking it hard, since he had been so adamant about a cure.

Merle nudged her and she glanced over. "He wanted this," he said soothingly.

She nodded and managed to give him a halfhearted smile. "Yeah, I know."

Daryl looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he bit his thumbnail. "It won't happen to you," he muttered.

She turned to look at him. "What?"

He cleared his throat and focused on the road ahead. "I won't- _we _won't let a walker get ya. You won't have to do that."

Ryann cocked her head, wanting to be sure she understood exactly what he was saying. "Do what?"

He looked over at her, his gaze piercing and intense. "Be alone." She smiled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. He blushed deeply and swerved a bit, frowning as he fought to stay in control of the truck. She turned and kissed Merle's cheek as well, earning a huge grin from him.

"Thank you both," she whispered into the cab. They continued on in silence.

**..**

**Ooh la la You go Ryann! I'm really lovin' this girl, aren't you? Send me some feedback and let me know your thoughts. Sorry Nikole and Jack didn't get bit. I hope you love me anyways! :)**


	8. Chapter 8: Mistakes Made

**Omigod! It's been so long, and I'm sooooooooo sorry for such a long wait. I could explain WHY it's been so long, but I'd have to create a whole other story for that (could possibly turn into a book) and ain't nobody got time for that! Haha anywho, I'll do my best to get my butt in gear and update more often. I'm definitely in the creative mood lately. So, without further ado, here is chapter 8 :) I wish I could have done more, but certain restrictions limited me. So tune in for chapter 9!**

**Oh, and I don't own anything but my OCs. :(**

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**Chapter 8: Mistakes Made**

Ryann took a deep breath, feeling a bit claustrophobic. Merle's large form had her wedged against Daryl. Her body was overheating from the close proximity and she didn't know how much more of it she could take. Not to mention, every bit of her body pressed against Daryl was tingling with awareness.

"We better get there soon," Merle muttered as he glanced at the sky. "It's gonna be dark in a minute."

Daryl was back to chewing his thumbnail. "Shouldn't be too long. We're back in the city."

Ryann glanced around, thankful there weren't many walkers wandering around, but knowing that it was only a matter of time. Walkers got more active at night, for some odd unknown reason.

She let loose a moan of frustration and both of the boys glanced at her. "What? This is freaking me out. What if we don't get there before it gets dark?" She leaned over a bit to glance at the gauges in front of Daryl. "We're almost on empty."

Merle chuckled. "Easy girl. We'll be alright." Ryann missed the uncertainty flashing in his eyes even as he said the words.

Daryl sat up straighter. "Looks like we made it," he muttered.

The RV pulled over as they neared a large building. The building itself was beautiful, with lots of windows and architecture that Ryann greatly admired. It was the mass of bodies outside the building that sent chills racing up and down her spine.

Merle whistled as he looked around, and Daryl's brows had pulled together, making his forehead crease. They waited for the others to leave their vehicles, in case there were walkers that the trio in the truck couldn't see.

When the RV door opened, they glanced at each other and piled out. Merle held a shotgun in his strong grip, while Daryl was carting around his faithful crossbow. Daryl had given Ryann his handgun, but she hoped she didn't have to use it.

Merle glanced at her over his shoulder. "Stay close to us girly," he muttered.

She shuddered as she stepped over a corpse. "Not a problem," she replied.

The smell nearly knocked her off her feet. Bodies were strewn everywhere, against walls, piled against each other, scattered across the lawn, lying over vehicles… Ryann had never seen this many dead bodies before, and if she was being honest with herself, the sight rocked her to the core. So many people had died, and there wasn't a thing she could do to help any of them. As her group moved forward, she prayed none of the deceased would stand back up.

Nikole edged her way closer to Ryann, as if seeking her protection. Although Ryann bristled at her stepsister's close proximity, she didn't try to run her off. Jack was right on Rick and Shane's heels, as if he believed they were the strongest men in the group. Ryann greatly respected Rick, but she'd choose Merle and Daryl over the sheriff on any given day.

Ryann glanced down at a soldier's body as she stepped over him, her eyes drawn to the knife strapped to his leg. She hesitated, wondering if it would be bad luck to swipe a weapon from a corpse. She'd had to give Merle his own knife back so the soldier's weapon would definitely come in handy. She finally bent down, unstrapped the knife and its sheath from the corpse's leg, and hurried after the brothers.

They made it to the doors, and Ryann's heart sank when she realized there was no apparent way to get in. Shane tried to lift the door, and when that didn't work, he banged on the metal. The effect was loud and Ryann winced, knowing the sound would draw walkers.

Right on cue.

"Walkers!" Daryl called out, having taken the job to watch their backs. Ryann watched as he aimed his crossbow and an arrow pierced the walker's eye, effectively putting it down.

"Promise me you'll teach me how to do that," she mumbled.

He gave her a tight lipped smile. "Of course. We just gotta make it to tomorrow first."

Ryann eyed him. "Deal."

She heard Shane say something about Fort Benning. "Are you still on that?" she demanded. He glared over at her. "How the hell are we supposed to get that far? Do you know of some hidden gas station that flows with liquid gold, and you've just been holding back on us?"

His jaw tensed. "Don't have to be a smartass," he muttered.

"Shane, there is no fuel, no food, no shelter. Everyone is tired and scared. We need to find something right this minute." She tried to make him see reason.

Merle practically growled. "We're runnin' out of time. Make up your minds! Where are we gonna go?"

Shane sighed. "Fort Benning is our best bet."

Andrea jumped in. "Like she said, we have no food, no fuel… it's a hundred miles!"

"A hundred and twenty-five," Glenn interjected glumly. "I checked the map."

Lori obviously agreed with Ryann. "Ryann's right. Forget Fort Benning, we need answers tonight. Now."

"We'll think of something," Rick said, determination laced in his voice. They started hurrying away from the door, sprinting toward the cars, when Rick suddenly started yelling. "The camera moved! There's someone inside!"

They tried to pull him away, but Rick was adamant that someone was inside. He fought them hard for several minutes, not even paying attention to the gathering undead crowd. T-Dog and Dale had their hands full as they tried to keep the majority of the walkers at bay. They finally managed to drag Rick a few feet before the doors slid up, revealing a blinding white light and their only chance at safety.

They were all frozen for a solid minute, but then they were scrambling over each other to hurry inside. The building was clean, pristine and untouched by the chaos that was lying right outside its doors. Rick called out, his voice echoing off the walls.

They heard the sound of a gun being cocked and everyone tensed and turned in that direction. A man stood there, holding an impressive firearm that Ryann was sure could do some serious damage  
if the man was crazy enough to shoot.

He looked shocked to see anyone standing in front of him. "Anybody infected?" he called out hesitantly.

"One of our group was," Rick told him, "but he didn't make it."

Ryann moved closer to Daryl, seeking his warmth against the sudden chill that had enveloped her body. He'd been aiming his gun at the man but his eyes cut to her as she moved to his side. Their gazes caught and held for an immeasurable moment. It was his stare that made Ryann's body warm, as he looked over at her with tenderness and another unknown emotion in his eyes. The man spoke again, catching their attention once more.

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission." When they nodded their consent, he lowered his gun and moved towards the doors. "You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed."

They hurried to drag in their few belongings as the man slid a card, punched in a code, and told "Vi" to seal the door. He introduced himself as Dr. Jenner before leading them away from the death and destruction to an elevator. Sliding his card and punching in another code, Jenner escorted them all inside. Instead of going up, he pressed a button that made the elevator go down.

Ryann had never been one for such tight spaces and took deep breaths as she was wedged in between Merle and Daryl again. Merle patted her on the shoulder even as he nudged her a bit closer to his brother to make more room for everyone else. Daryl shot her a small smile that made the rising panic in her chest turn to merely a simmer.

They were silent, until Daryl finally voiced one of the concerns that the others had had. "Doctors always go around packin' heat like that?"

Jenner offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself." He looked around. "But you look harmless enough." His gaze landed on Carl. "Except for you. I'll have to keep my eye on you." Ryann grinned as a small smile appeared on Carl's face. He needed all the cheering up he could get.

Jenner eventually led them to the room he would be using to take samples of their blood. Merle mumbled about doctors and their addictions to torturing people, Daryl chewed his thumbnail, Jack paced incessantly, Nikole whimpered as the needle pierced her skin, and Jacqui explained that none of them had eaten in days after Andrea almost fainted.

He led them to a completely different room. Ryann grinned when she noticed the pantry full of food. Daryl and Merle both let out a holler when they saw the liquor. While they each grabbed a bottle of whiskey, Dale and Andrea picked out some wine. T-Dog and Jacqui started loading up on food, grabbing things that Ryann had never even heard of as they started throwing a meal together.

They all pulled up chairs and sat together at the table, feeling carefree and happy for the first time since this all happened. Ryann had never even heard the Dixon brothers laugh the way they were now. She found she liked the sound of their laughter as she caught herself smiling along.

Merle took a long gulp from his bottle and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Girly, lemme tell you somethin' right now. If we weren't in the damn end of the world, I'd show you what a real man was."

Ryann laughed along with everyone else. "Careful there, Merle," Dale warned. His eyes sparkled with merriment. "She may just take you up on that offer, and you'd have to keep your word."

Merle gave an exaggerated look of horror and they all burst out laughing. Even Nikole was in party girl mode, taking shots of tequila and laughing with everyone else. This was the time when Ryann liked to be around her stepsister. She could actually be a decent human being, as long as she had some liquor in her system.

Ryann sipped her beer. "Merle, what makes you think I've never had a real man?" She grinned so he'd know she was kidding.

He chuckled and his voice dropped to stage whisper as he leaned closer. "'Cause you wouldn't be shootin' looks at my lil' brother, sugar tits. You'd be wantin' me!"

T-Dog doubled over laughing as Ryann and Daryl both blushed. "You two have been gettin' awful close lately," he observed.

Ryann raised an eyebrow, smiling to cover her discomfort. "What's wrong, T-Dog? Jealous?"

"Hell yeah!" he laughed. "I'd give anything to end up in your tent sweetheart." Ryann shook her head as he winked, missing the scowl Daryl shot at the man.

Nikole leaned forward, trying to gain attention. "I've never had a problem getting a man," she stated. Merle raised a brow at her, which only encouraged her to go farther. "I've been with my share of men, most of them rich and famous." Ryann rolled her eyes and looked away, bringing the beer back up to her lips. "My stepsister has struggled, but that's because she tries too hard to be like the boys." She gestured at Ryann chugging the rest of her beer.

Ryann stood to toss out the empty bottle and grab another. "At least I had self-respect," she muttered. Nikole didn't hear, as she was trying too hard to reveal her cleavage to Shane. He ignored her.

Ryann helped herself to more food while she was in the kitchen. Her stomach would be bloated by the time she went to bed, but it would be worth it. Daryl made his way into the kitchen as she was loading up her plate.

"Hey," she smiled.

He studied her. "Hey," he murmured huskily.

She set the plate down and turned to him, sensing that there was something he wanted to say. When he didn't, she moved closer. "Daryl?"

He took another step, until he was so close that their breaths mingled and their chests almost touched. His brows furrowed and his forehead creased as he tried to make sense of what he wanted to say. The liquor was definitely in his system, making it a bit hard to think straight with all the emotions rolling around inside.

Ryann reached up and gently smoothed out his forehead with her thumb. She let her fingers trail down the side of his face to stroke his jaw. "It's okay," she whispered. "Take your time, Daryl. I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't want anythin' to happen to you," he muttered.

She smiled gently. "I'll be okay. I have you and Merle watching my back."

He shook his head, frustrated. "I mean I don't want anyone to hurt you." When she looked confused, he forced himself to continue. "Men see you and they want you." Understanding lit up her gray eyes. "I don't want anyone else near you."

She raised her brows. "Except for you and Merle, right?"

He hesitated. "Merle's my brother, but don't encourage him. He'd take advantage. Rick's alright though. He's a good guy."

She traced his jawline again, feeling exceptionally bold. "What about you, Daryl?" she whispered. "What would you do if I encouraged you?"

They stared deep into each other's eyes for a long moment before Daryl glanced down at her mouth. Against her control, Ryann's tongue swept out to wet her lips. Daryl barely suppressed a groan. He reached up and touched her face, his thumb caressing her cheek before moving lower to brush against her wet bottom lip.

They both leaned closer, eager to know what the other tasted like. Just before their mouths met, Jack walked in.

They jumped apart, shocked at being caught off guard. Daryl should have heard him, with his excellent hearing and insane need to focus on the world around him. Ryann should have realized Jack was coming, because his arrival usually sent a bone-chilling shiver down her spine.

Jack studied them coldly as they shuffled their feet. Finally unable to take it, Daryl grabbed his bottle of whiskey and left the room. At first Ryann made excuses to keep her face turned away by messing with her plate of food or opening another beer, but then she decided she was tired of being submissive. Jack was not her real father, and his input shouldn't affect her so much. If he wanted to think so little of her, Ryann wouldn't stop him. Lifting her chin, she proudly met his gaze.

"Well, well," he drawled. "Looks like you've got the Dixon boys wrapped around your little finger. You shouldn't have stopped on my account. You're such a slut, I bet you're used to throwing yourself at men you barely know anyways."

Ryann gritted her teeth. "What I do in my spare time is none of your business, Jack." She grabbed her plate and beer and moved to walk out of the room. He grabbed her arm and she cried out in surprise as well as pain. His grip on her arm was unyielding.

"You don't tell me what is or isn't my business," he hissed. "I took care of your ass, you ungrateful brat."

Ryann tried to jerk away but he didn't let go. "Jack, let go." He glared at her and pulled her closer. Ryann wasn't sure what he planned to do, but judging by the murderous expression in his eyes, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Is everything alright?" a voice interrupted. Their heads whipped around, focusing on Jacqui. She stood in the doorway, hesitating before crossing the threshold. Her eyes were on Jack's grip on Ryann's upper arm.

Since he was distracted, Ryann was finally able to pull away. "Everything's fine," she murmured, before practically sprinting from the kitchen.

Merle looked up as she walked in, his smile disappearing as he took in her expression. Something had happened in the other room. His gaze moved over her shoulder, and his eyes narrowed into slits as Jack walked out of the kitchen, shooting Ryann a murderous glare. Merle put his arm across the back of Ryann's chair, noticing that her body swayed closer as if she was seeking every ounce of protection he could offer her. He didn't think she even noticed she did it.

Daryl was purposely ignoring Ryann, and her heart sunk in her chest. She had gotten her hopes up, and she'd been disappointed. She shouldn't be surprised. She was used to disappointment over and over again. She tried to focus on the conversation going on.

Rick was thanking Jenner for opening the doors and allowing them inside. "Boo yah!" Daryl called out as he lifted his bottle in a toast. There was a chorus of "Boo yah" after that.

Shane had been quiet for most of the evening, but he chose that moment to speak up. "So when are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, doc?"

The room grew silent as tension filled the air. They all looked to Jenner when he began to speak.

"Well when things got bad, a lot of people just left. Went off to be with their families." A muscle ticked in his jaw as he said this, and Ryann began to wonder who he had lost. "And when things got worse," he continued, "the rest bolted."

"Every last one?" Shane questioned, condescension and skepticism dripping from his voice.

Jenner slowly met his gaze. "No. Many couldn't face walking out the door. They opted out. There was a rash of suicides." Shane lowered his gaze, no longer smug. Ryann watched as Jacqui reached for her wine. Jenner looked deep in thought. "That was a bad time," he murmured.

"You didn't leave," Andrea threw in her two cents. "Why?"

Jenner shrugged and reached for his own wine glass. "I just kept working, hoping to do some good."

The group was quiet, lost in thought. Glenn scoffed, drawing attention. "Dude, you are such a buzz kill," he said to Shane. Shane avoided everyone's gaze.

Their mood officially soured, Jenner led them to the rooms they would be able to use as their sleeping quarters. For once, they wouldn't have to worry about zombies tearing apart their tents as they slept. Once Jenner mentioned hot water, everyone began to scramble over each other in their race to the bathrooms.

Ryann was at the front of the line. She was determined to wash away her embarrassment from her encounter with Daryl. She shouldn't have acted the way she did. She practically threw herself at him. She was kicking herself now. Ryann swore that she wouldn't let it happen again. She didn't need such complications in her hellish life, especially with someone who she'd made honorary family. She escaped into the bathroom, sure she'd be able to get a grip on her emotions. Fat chance of that happening.

**..**

**O-kay, so it seems like Ryann and Daryl need a little help in the romance department. Let's see what chapter 9 holds in store :) R&R please, I still love feedback, even though I've been away for like a million years *cringe* hope y'all can forgive me!**


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